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Columbia  SJnttJer^ftp 
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LIBRARY 


THE  CONVENTION 


OF  THE 


APOSTOLATEoFTHE  PRES5. 


HELD  IN 


Columbus  Hall,  New  York  City, 


January  6th  and  7th,  1892. 


[Report  of  Papers  and  Letters. 


New  York : 

THE  COLUMBUS  PRESS, 

120°  122  West  Sixtieth  St. 


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From  the  library  or 

Talcott  Williams 

Director  of  the  School  of  Journalism 

1912-1919 


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CONTENTS. 


Invitation  to  the  Convention. 5 

Letter  of  the  Archbishop  of  New  York.         .        .  8 
The   Convention   of  the  Apostolate  of  the   Press. 

Rev.  Walter  Elliott,  C.S.P.  9 

List  of  Members.          .        . 10 

Opening   Sermon   at  the   Convention    of    the  Apos- 
tolate OF  THE  Press.      .         .         Rev.  Michael  Lavelle.  12 


PAPERS  AND  LETTERS  READ  AT  THE  CONVENTION. 

The    Attitude    of    the    Educated    Protestant    Mind    toward 

Catholic  Truth.           .         .         .         Prof.  W.  C.  Robinson.  21 
The  Press  and  Old-fashioned  Protestants. 

Richard  Malcolm  Johnston.  29 
The  Missionary  Outlook  in  New  England. 

George  Parsons  Lathrop.  36 

How  to  Deal  with  Agnostics.       .         .         Merwin  M.  Snell.  44 
The  Catholic  Church  and  the  Colored  People. 

Charles  H.  Butler.  53 

The  Outlook  among  the  Colored  People.          Dan.  A.  Rudd.  55 

The  General  Missionary  Outlook.    .         .        Johji  McCarthy.  58 

The  Outlook  in  Canada.       .         .         .          J.  A.  J.  McKenna.  61 

Speaking  to  the  Century.         .         Rev.  William  Barry,  D.D.  65 

Letter  from  James  Britten,  Esq 71 

Mending  Old  Roads  and  Making  New  Ones. 

Katherine  E.  Conway.  y6 
The  Secular  Press  ;    the  Church  and   Intemperance.     Letter 

from  William  F.  Carne S6 

Reading  Circles.     A  Letter  from  Brother  Azarias.             .  87 
How  to  Start  and  Maintain  a  Catholic  Journal. 

H.  L.  Richards,  Jr.  89 

How  the  Printer's  Art  got  its  Terms.           .         David  He aly.  91 
The  Apostolate  of  the  Press  and  Working-women. 

Katherine  A.  C Keeffe.  92 
The  Apostolate  of  the  Press  and  Children. 

Mary  Elizabeth  Blake,  95 


4  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

The  Press  and    Children.      A    Letter    from    Mrs.    Josephine 

M.   Hecker loi 

The  Apostolate    of    the  Press  and  the  Army.      Letter  from 

Rev.  J.  F.  Dolphin,  Chaplain  U.  S.  A.       .         .         .  103 

Catholic  Reading  and  the  Navy.    Rev.  Edward  J.  McGolrick.     104 

Letter  from  Rev.   Charles  H.  Parks,  Chaplain  in  the    Navy.     107 

The  Apostolate  of  the  Press  and   the  Society  of   the    Holy 

Spirit.  .....         Hon.  Frank  McGloin.      1 10 

The  Catholic  Truth    Society    of   America    and    the    Aposto- 
late of  the  Press.  .         .         .         William  F.  Markoe.     iiy 

Parish  Libraries.         .         .         .         Rev.  Joseph  H.  McMahon.     124 

Library  Work  in  St.  Paul's  Parish,  New  York. 

John  J.  O'Brien.     134 

The  Diffusion  of  Good  Reading  by  the  Columbian  Reading 

Union Josephijte  Letuis.     137 

The  First    Catholic    Reading    Circle    formed    in    New    York 

City M.  F.  McAleer.     141 

The  Catholic  Educational  Union.         .         Warren  E.  Mosher.     145 

Parish  Calendars Rev.  John  J.  Hjighes.     150 

The  Press  and  Intemperance.       .         .         .   James  F.  Judge.     153 

Reading  in  Penal  Institutions.  .         .         Emma  S.  Gary.     157 

The  Press  in  Alms-houses  and    Reformatories. 

Mary  E.  McCartin.     162 

The  Experience  of  a  Sister  of    Mercy.     Letter    from   Sister 

Mary  Austin. 165 

The  Apostolate  of  the  Press  and  the  Prevention  of    Crime. 

John   W.  Goff.     172 


Invitation  to  the  Convention  of  the  Apostolate 
of  the  Press. 


You  are  invited  to  be  present  at  a  Convention  of  the  Aposto- 
late OF  THE  Press,  to  be  held  in  Columbus  Hall,  West  Sixtieth 
Street,  near  Columbus  Avenue  (adjoining  the  Paulist  Church), 
New  York  City,  on  WEDNESDAY  AND  THURSDAY,  January  6 
and  7,  1892.  You  are  invited  because  it  is  believed  that  you  are 
likely  to  be  interested  in  the  spread  of  Catholic  Truth  through 
the  medium  of  the  Press, 

The  Convention  will  be  composed  of  the  laity,  men  and 
women,  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada  who 
believe  that  the  printing-press  offers  to  apostolic  zeal  golden 
opportunities  for  the  conversion  of  our  fellow-countrymen,  as 
well  as  for  elevating  the  moral 'and  spiritual  condition  of  Catho- 
lics themselves.  You  will  find  herewith  the  letter  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  New  York  approving  and  praising  the  calling  of  the 
Convention,  and  placing  it  under  the  auspices  of  Ecclesiastical 
authority. 

A  few  words  in  explanation  of  the  objects  of  the  Convention 
are  necessary.  At  the  outset  it  should  be  understood  that  there 
is  no  purpose  to  form  a  society  or  to  interfere  with  societies  at 
present  engaged  in  the  Apostolate  OF  THE  PRESS.  Organization, 
in  the  sense  of  forming  a  society,  is  not  at  all  intended.  On  the 
contrary,  societies  already  in  existence  are  to  be  encouraged, 
assisted,  their  membership  increased,  their  success  brought  con- 
spicuously before  the  public  and  made  matter  of  emulation  for 
the  whole  Church  in  America.  We  trust  to  have  members  pres- 
ent from  all  Catholic  societies  which  in  any  way  use  the  Press 
for  the  good  of  Religion,  but  it  will  be  open  to  all  good  Catho- 
lics of  the  laity  who  take  a  practical  interest  in    this  Apostolate. 

The  object  is  to  bring  the  best  men  and  women  of  our  laity 
together  under  the  auspices  of  the  clergy,  to  take  counsel  how  to 
use  the  Press  for  the  good  of  religion,  especially  with  a  view  to 
converting  the  non-Catholic  American  people.  We  are  right  and 
we  can  prove  it,  and  the  most  universal  medium  of  doing  so  is 
the  Press.  How  to  do  it,  why  *t  should  be  done,  when  and 
where  it  can  best  be  done,  by  what  agencies  and  by  overcoming 
what  obstacles — these  practical  questions  will  be    discussed  freely 


6  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

and  answered  fully  by  the  Catholic  men  and  women  most  compe- 
tent to  do  so.  Arrangements  are  being  made  to  have  papers  read 
by  representative  Catholics  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  espe- 
cially by  those  who  have  already  distinguished  themselves  by  their 
zeal  in  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  These  are  more  num- 
erous and  of  higher  consideration  than  one  would  at  first  glance 
suppose.  The  topics  will  embrace  the  entire  field  of  this  great 
Apostolate,  such  as  how  to  get  the  truth  into  the  secular  press; 
the  uses  of  fiction  in  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  ;  how  to  in- 
terest children  for  the  truth ;  how  to  reach  infidels,  Agnostics,  and 
old-fashioned  Protestants  respectively  ;  the  Apostolate  OF  THE 
Press  and  Intemperance  ;  Reading  Circles,  their  uses  and  how  to 
form  them ;  the  Apostolate  OF  THE  PRESS  and  prisons,  reforma- 
tories, and  hospitals ;  how  to  assist  soldiers  and  sailors  to  good 
reading ;  the  Apostolate  and  Catholic  charitable  societies ;  the 
use  of  the  Press  in  the  conversion  of  the  colored  people.  All 
of  these  exceedingly  interesting  subjects,  and  others  equally  so, 
will  be  treated  by  competent  persons  in  carefully  prepared 
papers,  each  of  which  will  be  followed  by  a  free  and  informal 
discussion  of  the  topic,  so  that  the  entire  field  of  the  APOSTOLATE 
OF  THE  Press  will  be  gone  over.  The  papers  and  discussions 
will,  it  is  hoped,  be  collected  and  published  at  cost  price  after  the 
Convention,  furnishing  a  hand-book  for  the  guidance  of  zealous 
members  of  the  laity  in  forming  societies  or  for  personal  exer- 
cise of  zeal  in  the  distribution  of  the  Printed  Truth. 

By  attending  the  Convention  you  will  lend  your  name  pub- 
licly to  the  good  cause  of  the  true  religion  ;  you  will  learn  how 
to  use  the  most  powerful  means  of  saving  the  souls  of  your 
neighbors,  both  Catholics  and  non-Catholics  ;  you  will  make  the 
personal  acquaintance  of  the  best  men  and  women  of  the  Catho- 
lic Church  in  America,  and  your  experience  will  be  every  way 
as  delightful  as  it  will  be  profitable.  You  will  help  to  show  what 
is  little  known  outside  the  Church,  that  our  laity  are  full  of  the 
highest  intelligence,  are  actuated  by  practical  zeal,  and  are  trust- 
worthy and  trusted  by  the  highest  authority. 

We  therefore  urge  upon  you  the  privilege  of  attending.  Be 
with  us  on  the  auspicious  Feast  of  the  Epiphany,  the  manifesta- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  nations.  Largely  attended,  and  by 
men  and  women  well  and  favorably  known  in  their  communities 
or  their  professions,  the  Convention  will  fitly  begin  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  discovery  of  this  New  World,  an  event  which  resulted 
from  the  science,  the  spirit  of  adventure,  and  above  all  the 
apostolic  zeal  of  the  great  Catholic  Discoverer.     Your  acceptance 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  7 

of  this  Invitation  will  involve  some  sacrifice  of  time,  but  no  con- 
tributions of   money  will  be  asked. 

Is  not  the  cause  an  inspiring  one  ?  Do  you  not  long  to  per- 
sonally participate  in  this  great  work,  the  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE 
Press,  so  perfectly  adapted  to  your  state  of  life  in  the  world,  a 
work  which  Divine  Providence    is  now  favoring  with  promises  of 

marvellous  success  ? 

THE    PAULIST  FATHERS. 

Your  acceptance  of  this  Invitation,  if  addressed  to  Rev. 
Walter  Elliott,  Office  of  The  Catholic  World,  120  West  Sixtieth 
Street,  New  York  City,  will  secure  you  the  necessary  credentials 
as  a  member  of  the  Convention. 


LETTER  OF   THE   ARCHBISHOP  OF  NEW  YORK. 

Archbishop's  House,  452  Madison  Ave., 
New  York,  October  26,  1891. 

Rev.  dear  Father  Elliott  :  I  am  glad  that  you  see  your 
way  to  resume  the  work  inaugurated  by  the  revered  Father 
Hecker,  and  recommended  by  the  Second  Plenary  Council  of 
Baltimore :  I  mean  the  diffusion  of  Cathohc  Truth  by  the  pub- 
lication of  short  articles,  leaflets,  and  similar  productions,  intended 
to  dispel  prejudice  and  to  defend  sound  doctrine.  You  are  no 
doubt  aware  that  the  Rev.  Joseph  H.  McMahon,  of  this  Cathe- 
dral, has  been  engaged  in  similar  work  during  the  past  three 
years,  and  has  already  distributed  many  thousand  copies  of  short 
papers  explaining  salient  points  of  Catholic  discipline  and  dogma. 
Kindred  societies,  actuated  by  the  same  praiseworthy  spirit,  are 
successfully  estabhshed  elsewhere.  In  a  country  like  ours,  where 
the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  has  an  immense  and  almost  an 
unlimited  mission,  there  is  ample  room  for  many  workers  in  the 
same  field,  and  I  therefore  applaud  and  bless  your  zeal  in  calling 
a  convention  to  further  this  good  work  and  to  devise  ways  and 
means  by  which  it  may  be  strengthened  and  made  permanent. 
After  all,  intelligent  minds  want  to  know  the  truth  ;  St.  Thomas 
says :  "  In  no  way  is  the  truth  disclosed  better  than  by  refuting 
those  who  contradict  it."  And  Tertullian  wrote,  long  before  the 
Angehc  Doctor,  "  Truth  blushes  only  at  concealment." 

Wishing   you  all  success    in    your    noble  project,  and  begging 
God  to  bless  it  most  abundantly,  I  remain 

Very  faithfully  yours, 

M.  A.  CORRIGAN,  Abp. 


The  Convention  of  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 


The  following  account  of  the  Convention  was  furnished  the 
Christian    Union,  by  request  of  the  editor  of  that  journal  : 

The  Apostolate  of  the  Press  is  a  term  which  indicates  a 
phase  of  the  missionary  spirit  becoming  active  in  the  Catholic 
Church.  Catholics  are  assuming  a  spirit  of  intellectual  aggres- 
siveness. "  We  are  right  and  we  can  prove  it,"  is  a  summary 
of  the  Catholic  mind  at  the  present  day.  The  Convention  of 
the  Apostolate  of  the  Press,  recently  held  in  New  York  City, 
was  a  gathering  of  prominent  Catholics  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  to  give  utterance  to  this  zeal,  and  to  call  for  suggestions 
looking  towards  a  missionary  campaign  among  non-Catholics. 
True,  much  was  said  at  the  meetings  about  the  elevation  of 
spiritually  destitute  Catholics  by  means  of  the  press ;  but  the 
main  purpose  was  to  assist  in  placing  the  Church  in  that  mission- 
ary attitude  towards  non-Catholics  which  the  most  enlightened 
among  us  are  persuaded  is  the  chief  lesson  of  the  present  provi- 
dence of  God.  This  may  account  for  the  fact  that  the  Arch- 
bishop of  New  York  so  cordially  approved  of  the  Paulist  Fathers 
assembling  the  Convention  and  assisting  the  members  in  their 
deliberations,  for  the  primary  object  of  the  Paulists  is  the  con- 
version of  non-Catholics. 

When  I  use  the  word  "aggressive,"  I  mean  by  it  that  zeal 
of  real  friendship  born  of  love  which  feels  and  ever  shows  respect 
for  honesty  even  in  error,  and  affection  for  neighbors,  fellow- 
citizens,  and  fellow-men.  That  it  was  understood  in  this  sense, 
not  only  the  papers  read  by  prominent  men  and  women  of 
the  laity,  but  the  impromptu  debates  which  followed  these,  and 
in  which  all  who  would  participated,  gave  very  conclusive  evi- 
dence. At  present  I  will  speak  only  of  the  two  or  three 
features  which  gave  it  individuality.  It  was,  in  the  first  place, 
not  merely  a  gathering  of  the  laity,  both  men  and  women,  but 
a  gathering  in  which  the  latter  were  not  simply  expected  and 
invited  to  take  an  active  part,  but  in  which  numbers  of  them  did 
so  with  a  modest  ease  and  a  sure  grasp  of  the  matters  they  had 
in  hand  which  were  pleasant  to  see.  The  note  struck  here  was 
that  of  an  equality  so  spontaneously  felt  on  all  sides  that  allusion 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  9 

to  it  would  have  been  superfluous.  Then  there  was  the  happy 
accident  which  made  Mr.  Charles  Butler's  paper  on  the  best  ways 
of  getting  Cathohc  doctrine  before  the  colored  race,  which  he, 
with  Mr.  Daniel  Rudd,  of  Cincinnati,  so  admirable  represented, 
the  first  to  claim  a  hearing.  And  again,  it  was  only  for  con- 
venience' sake  that  I  presided  over  this  entirely  informal  assem- 
bly. The  other  priests,  who  were  present  in  a  certainly  small 
minority,  were  listened  to,  when  they  chose  to  join  in  the  de- 
bates, with  cordial  interest  and  attention  ;  yet  they  were  there  as 
lobby  members,  so  to  say,  and  in  only  two  instances  read 
papers  by  request.  It  was,  in  short,  a  lay  gathering,  not  so 
large  in  numbers  as  representative  in  thought  as  well  as  in  local- 
ity, members  from  all  sections  of  the  Union  and  from  parts  of 
Canada  being  present ;  while  it  was  so  responsive  to  the  spirit 
in  which  the  invitation  to  it  was  issued  that  it  easily  resisted 
the  perhaps  natural  tendency  to  organize  itself  into  a  new 
association.  The  key-note,  in  fact,  was  that  of  individual  initia- 
tive and  free  labor  in  the  direction  of  disseminating  the  printed 
truth  among  non-Catholics,  and  spiritually  destitute  Cathohcs  as 
well,  by  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  look  for  his 
coming,  without  regard  to  their  "race,  sex,  or  previous  condition 
of  servitude."  And  in  this  respect,  as  well  as  in  others,  it  proved 
a  very  complete  success. 

The  opening  paper  of  the  first  formal  session  of  the  Conven- 
tion was  read  by  Professor  W.  C.  Robinson,  of  the  Law  School 
of  Yale  University,  on  "  The  Attitude  of  the  Educated  Protes- 
tant Mind  toward  Catholic  Truth."  He  said  that  during  the 
thirty  years  that  had  passed  since  he  became  a  Catholic  he  had 
lived  in  constant  and  intimate  association  with  the  non-Catholic 
men  who  form  the  public  opinion  of  the  day  on  social,  ethical, 
and  religious  questions,  and  indirectly  on  political  questions  also. 
Many  of  these  are  active  members  of  Protestant  churches,  and 
a  large  proportion  of  the  rest  are  religiously  disposed,  in  will, 
if  not  in  intellect  and  profession,  submitting  themselves  to  the 
guidance  of  Christian  law  and  doctrine.  Limiting  his  observa- 
tions strictly  to  the  class  thus  described.  Professor  Robinson 
expressed  his  conviction  that  what  they  need  from  Catholics  is 
"knowledge  and  not  argument."  He  also  said  that  the  New 
England  mind  was  ripe  for  the  truth. 

Mr.  George  Parsons  Lathrop,  a  convert  of  much  more  recent 
date  than  Professor  Robinson,  and  conversant  with  a  generation 
of  non-Catholics  younger  than  that  familiar  to  the  latter,  was 
less  confident  of    their  willingness  to  be    enlightened,  though    his 


10  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

paper  was  full  of  courage  and  hope.  He  discussed,  with  his 
accustomed  charm  of  expression  and  with  deep  and  evident  feel- 
ing as  well,  the  two  widely  different  worlds  inhabited  by  intelli- 
gent Catholics  and  equally  intelligent  non-Catholics,  whether  pro- 
fessedly Christians  or  unbelievers.  He  had  for  the  most  part 
found  even  his  own  familiar  friends,  who  had  always  been  and 
who  were  still  ready  to  discuss  with  him  every  other  subject 
under  heaven,  entirely  unwilling  to  enter  upon  that  of  the  claims 
of  the  Catholic  Church  and  their  justification  in  history, 
logic,  or  philosophy.  He  found  in  this  attitude  a  tacit  admission 
that,  man's  intellect  being  what  it  is,  it  is  unsafe  to  open  its 
doors  and  windows  to  the'  common  daylight  of  truth — and  when 
it  prefers  semi-obscurity  it  doubtless  is  so.  He  found  a  similar 
testimony  to  the  existence  of  some  great  reality  to  be  found  in 
the  Catholic  faith,  and  not  elsewhere,  in  the  curious  fact  that  "  it 
has  happened  to  Mrs.  Lathrop  and  myself  that  Protestant  friends, 
and  even  simple  acquaintances,  who  never  broached  the  subject 
before,  have  written  to  us,  since  we  became  Catholics,  asking  us 
to  pray  for  their  dead,  their  departed  kindred.  Of  course  they 
would  not  dream  of  petitioning  for  such  prayers  in  their  own 
churches  and  denominations.  Others  have  sent  to  ask  our  prayers 
for  some  member  of  a  family*  undergoing  illness  or  surgical 
operations  involving  great  danger.  In  all  the  years  that  we  zuere 
outside  of  the  Church  they  never  made  such  a  request,  although  they 
were  as  sure  of  our  friendship  the7i  as  nozv.  This  is  another  touch- 
ing evidence  of  the  fact  that  Protestants  feel,  if  they  do  not  per- 
ceive, some  peculiar  virtue  in  the  Church.  They  turn  to  it  in- 
stinctively, in  these  cases,  as  meeting  the  needs  of  the  heart  and 
soul  with  a  supreme  efficacy  not  found  in  their  own  organiza- 
tions ;   a  power  that  they  may  oppose,  yet  inwardly  realize." 

The  well-known  delineator  of  Southern  character.  Colonel 
Richard  Malcolm  Johnston,  unable  to  be  present,  sent  a  paper  on 
the  religious  condition  of  the  South,  sympathetic  and  encourag- 
ing. Mr.  J.  A.  J.  McKenna,  of  Ottawa,  Canada,  interested  the 
members  on  the  missionary  outlook  in  the  Dominion.  We  were 
all  charmed  by  a  strong  appeal  made  by  Miss  Katherine  Con- 
way, of  the  Boston  Pilot,  for  better  and  newer  methods  in  the 
missionary  use  of  the  daily  and  weekly  press.  Ways,  means,  and 
methods  were  discussed  by  the  Hon.  Frank  McGloin,  of  New 
Orleans,  and  Mr.  William  F.  Markoe,  of  Minneapolis,  represent- 
ing two  flourishing  missionary  societies  using  the  press. 

On  the  side  of  education  and  charity  valuable  papers  were 
read  by  many  delegates.     The    space    here    assigned    me    forbids 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  ii 

mention,  much  to  my  regret,  of  the  Hvely,  friendly,  and  yet 
often  widely  divergent  views  expressed  in  discussing  the  topics 
brought  before  the  Convention.  Among  the  papers,  and  most 
noticeable  for  its  beauty  of  style,  was  one  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
William  Barry,  a  well-known  English  writer,  on  "  Speaking  to  the 
Century."  At  the  close  of  the  Convention,  which  sat  during  two 
entire  days,  January  6-7,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  gain,  if 
possible,  from  the  secular  press  that  often-denied  boon,  the  sole 
one  that  Catholic  Americans  ask  from  their  fellow-countrymen — the 
chance  of  fair  play  and  free  exposition  of  their  views  and  prin- 
ciples, especially  when  these  have  been  misrepresented  in  their 
columns.  There  is  little  doubt  that  a  result  of  this  gathering, 
and  a  not  remote  one  either,  will  be  the  establishment  of  a.  cen- 
tre for  the  missionary  work  known  to  Catholics  as  the  APOSTO- 
LATE OF  THE  Press. 

WALTER    ELLIOTT. 
St.    Patds   Church,  New  York. 


List  of  Members. 


The  following  list  contains  the  names  of  those  who  attended 
the  Convention  or  who  wrote  for  cards  of  membership  with  the 
expectation  of  attending. 

The  list  is  an  imperfect  one,  but  contains  the  names  of  all 
whom  we  could  reach  personally  or  by  letter. 

The  names  of  the  many  priests  who  were  present  are  not 
given  because  they  were  not  strictly  members,  though  their 
addresses  were  an  important  element  in  the  proceedings. 


Anderson,  Miss  Kate,  New  York  City. 
Barry,  Miss  M.  E.,  New  York  City. 
Barry,  W.  H.,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 
Barry,  W.  H.,  Ottawa,  Canada. 
Barry,  K.  W.,  New  York  City. 
Brown,  John  H.,  New  York  City. 
Bree,  J.  P.,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Birch,  Miss  Eugenie,  Boston,  Mass. 
Blake,  Mrs.  M.  E.,  Boston,  Mass. 
Baily,  Alice  W.,  Amherst,  Mass. 
Brown,  Wm.,  New  Britain,  Conn. 
Barry,  Miss  K.  M.,  Ottawa,  Canada. 
Brent,  Mrs.,  New  York  City. 
Brophy,  J.  P.,  New  York  City. 
Brailly,  Dr.  A.  V.,  New  York  City. 
Burke,  B.,  New  York  City. 
Bowson,  Mrs.  C.  A.,  New  York  City. 
Boone,  D.  A.,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Bernholz,  Miss,  New  York  City. 
Broderick,  Miss  K.,  New  York  City. 
Burke,  Miss  J.,  New  York  City. 
Brady,  Jerome,  New  York  City. 
Binsse,  L.  B.,  New  York  City. 
Byrne,  Miss,  New  York  City. 
Broderick,  Miss  E.  J.,  New  York  City. 
Bouvier,  the  Misses,  New  York  City. 
Boylan,  B.  M. 

Butler,  C.  H.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Conway,  Miss  Katherine  E.,  Boston, 

Mass. 
Clarke,  Mrs.  C,  New  York  City. 
Cary,  Miss  E.  S.,  Cambridge,  Mass. 
Cary,  Miss  S.  G.,  Cambridge,  Mass. 
Connell,  Mrs.  Mary,  New  York  City. 
Cummings,  Miss  S.,  New  York  City. 
Cornell,  T.  C,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 
Cornell,  Miss  C,  New  York  City. 
Coogan,  MissN.,  New  York  City. 


Copley,  C.  W.,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 
Connell,  G.  S.,  New  York  City. 
Clancy,  Miss  M.,  New  York  City. 
Campion,  J.  T.,  New  York  City. 
Cronyn,  Miss  E.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Crane,  John,  New  York  City. 
Cummins,  T.  J.,  Albany,  N.  Y. 
Cullen,  C.  A.,  New  York  City. 
Corbett,  Miss  C.  T.,  Madison,  N.  J. 
Campion,  Miss  B.,  New  York  City. 
Callahan,  Miss  A.  I.,  Orange,  N.  J. 
Connell,  G.  F.,  New  York  City. 
Claxton,  W.  R.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Cook,  Miss  E.  W.,  New  York  City. 
Coleman,  Caryl,  New  York  City. 
Corr,  Bernard,  New  York  City. 
Corr,  Miss  M.  B.,  New  York  City, 
Cram,  R.  A.,  Boston,  Mass. 
Curran,  F. 
Conley,  J.  H. 

Cavanagh,  Philip  B.,  New  York  City. 
Carton,  Miss  L.,  New  York  City. 
Colfax,  E.  L.,  Pompton,  N.  J. 
Cutter,  W.  T.,  Jacksonville,  Fla. 
Deshon.  Miss  S.  J.,  New  York  City. 
Diggs,  Mrs.  K.,  New  York  City. 
Daly,  J.  J.,  New  York  City. 
Dillon,  Joseph,  New  York  City. 
Dana,  Miss  H.  C,  Cambridge,  Mass. 
Dougherty,  Jos.  E.,  New  York  City. 
Dolan,  P.  F.,  New  York  City. 
Dahlgren,  Mme.  M.  V.,  Wash.,  D.  C. 
Dissel,  Mrs.  Theo.,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
Dooling,  Miss  M.  R.,  Brookline,  Mass. 
Daly,  Philip,  New  York  City. 
Dooling,  Miss  K.  G.,  Brookline,  Mass. 
Downing,  Mrs.  M.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Downing,  Miss  M.  A.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 


13 


Diller,  A.  B.,  New  York  City. 
Dowling,  Lourdes,  New  York  City. 
Dowling,  Victor  J.,  New  York  City. 
Doughty,  Miss  Corinne,  N.  Y.  City. 
Drake,  Miss  Jeanie,  New  York  City, 
Early,  W.,  New  York  City. 
Fitz,  T.  B.,  New  York  City. 
Foley,  Miss  N.  L.,  New  York  City. 
Farrell,  R.  J. 

Flannery,  D.,  Memphis,  Tenn. 
Fay,  C.  F.,  Boston,  Mass. 
Ferguson,  J.  W. 
Feeny,  B.  C,  Norwalk,  Conn. 
Guiney,  Miss  L.  I.,  Auburndale,  Mass. 
Goff,  John  W.,  New  York  City. 
Grace,  J.  P.,  New  York  City. 
Gallagher,  Miss  A.,  New  York  City. 
Gillon,  H.  F.,  Lowell,  Mass. 
Gaho'gan.  Miss  C.  M.  M. 
Gest,  A.  P.,  York,  Pa. 
Gannon,  Miss  M.  A.,  New  York  City. 
Galwey,  T.  F.,  New  York  City. 
Hecker,  Mrs.  J.  M.,  New  York  City, 
Hecker,  Miss  C,  New  York  City. 
Hinsdale,  Mrs.  R.  H.,  New  York  City. 
Hogan,  Mrs.  M.  M.,  Chicago,  III. 
Hollornd,  Miss  Dora,  New  York  City. 
Harrington,  D.,  New  York  City. 
Hughes,  Miss  M.  T„  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Heuisler,  Chas.  W.,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Hardy,  A. 

Hinsdale,  Miss  L.,  New  York  City. 
Howes,  Mrs.  H.  S.,  New  York  City. 
Hynes,  James,  New  York  City. 
Hardy,  G.  E.,  New  York  City. 
Howard,  G.  H.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Hardy  &  Mahony,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Hourdequin,  Miss  Adele,  B'k'yn,  N.  Y. 
Jordan,  Mrs.  M.  E.,  New  York  City. 
Johnston,  R.  M.,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Judge,  J.  F.,  Scranton,  Pa. 
Kennedy,  P.  J.,  New  York  City. 
Kearns,  Thos.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Kearney,  J.  T.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Keohane,  William,  New  York  City. 
Keegan,  John,  New  York  City. 
Killoran,  Mark,  New  York  City. 
Kelly,  Mrs.  A.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Kiltrelly,  Miss  F.  M.,  New  York  City. 
Kelly,  Miss  M.  E. 
Kehoe,  John. 


Kelly,  J.  E.,  New  York  City. 
Kane,  C.  F. 

Kilroy,  Thomas  F.,  New  York  City. 
Kennedy,  D.  W.,  New  York  City. 
Kelly,  E.  J.,  New  York  City. 
Kilner,  H.  L.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Lathrop,  Geo.  Parsons,  New    London, 

Conn.  [N.  J. 

Lauer,  Mrs.J.  E.,  Jersey  City  Heights, 
Lynch,  the  Misses,  New  York  City. 
Le  Baron,  Mme.  M.  L.,  Wash.,  D.  C. 
Lewis,  Miss  Josephine,  N.  Y.  City. 
Lynch,  P.  H.,  New  York  City. 
Leach,  Miss  W.,  New  York  City. 
Lawless,  Mrs.  Margaret,  Toledo,  O. 
Leathy,  J.  P. 

Littleton,  S.  F.,  Worcester,  Mass. 
Lynch,  Miss  Louise. 
Leary,  Miss  Anna,  New  York  City. 
Lummis,  Miss  E.,  New  York  City. 
McCartin,  Miss  E.  C,  Jersey  City,  N.  J. 
McCartin,  Miss  M.  E.,  Jersey  City,  N.  J. 
Meehan,  James,  New  York  City. 
Meehan,  Miss  M.,  New  York  City. 
McGinty,  E.  J.,  New  York  City. 
Meynen,  Mrs.  M.  M.,  New  York  City. 
Mosher,  Warren  E.,  Youngstown,  O. 
Moorehead,  Miss  A.  A.,  N.  Y.  City. 
Murray,  T.  J.,  Brookline,  Mass. 
McCarthy,  John,  New  York  City. 
Meehan,  Miss,  New  York  City.' 
McElearny,  Mrs.,  New  York  City. 
Murphy,  F.  K.,  Baltimore,  Md. 
MacMahon,  W.  A.,  E.  Orange,  N.  J. 
McElroy,  J.  A.,  New  York  City. 
McNulty,  J.  S.,  New  York  City. 
Murphy,  C.  V.,  New  York  City. 
Mulry,  T.  M.,  New  York  City. 
Mulrooney,  G.  F.,  New  York  City. 
Moore,  Mrs.  C.  M.,  New  York  City. 
McKenna,  Miss  K.,  New  York  City. 
McDermott,  Miss  R.,  New  York  City. 
McGuinness,  Miss  D.,  N.  Y.  City. 
McLees,  F.  M.,  New  York  City. 
Morgan,  M.  J. 

Macdonald,  D.  J„  Newburgh,  N.  Y. 
McAleer,  Miss  M.  F.,  New  York  City. 
McCarthy,  John,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
McGloin,  Hon.  Frank,  New  Orleans, 

La. 
Markoe,  W.  F.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 


14 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 


McCorry,  B.  J.,  New  York  City. 

Mulready,  Edwin. 

McKenna,  P.  A. 

Meehan,  Mrs.  F.,  New  York  City. 

McKay,  F.  J. 

McDonnell,  Patrick. 

Mulrooney,  Miss  K.,  New  York  City. 

Mapother,  Dillon. 

Malarkey,  J.  J.,  New  York  City. 

McKenna,  J.  M. 

McGuire,  E.  J.,  New  York  City. 

McCarthy,  Denis,  New  York  City. 

Mahony,  T. 

McMana,  Mrs.,  New  York  City. 

McGuire,  J.  C,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Murphy,  C.  J.,  Evansville,  Ind. 

McCuskie,  Miss  Rose,  New  York  City. 

McMahon,  Miss  Ella,  New  York  City. 

Madigan,  M.  J.,  New  York  City. 

Muller,  Jos.,  New  Britain,  Conn. 

McDonnell,  T.  C,  Tracy,  Platte  Co., 

Mo. 
Markley,  P.  J.,  New  Britain,  Conn. 
Mallon,  Y.,  Providence,  R.  I. 
Marr,  Mrs.  M.,  Mont  Eagle,  Tenn. 
McKenna,  J.  A.  J.,  Ottawa,  Canada. 
Norris,  F.  W.,  New  York  City. 
Neville,  M.  F.,  New  York  City. 
Neville,  T.  F. 

O'Neil,  Mrs.  James,  New  York  City. 
Owens,  J.  J.,  New  York  City. 
O'Brien,  John,  New  York  City. 
O'Connor,  Barry,  New  York  City. 
O'Keeffe.Miss  K.  A.,  Lawrence,  Mass. 
O'Holloran,  Miss  M.,  New  York  City. 
O'Hara,  G.  E.,  New  York  City. 
O'Neill,  Miss  G.,  New  York  City. 
O'Leary,  Miss  Agnes,  Boston,  Mass. 
O'Brien,  Miss  Agnes,  New  York  City. 
O'Meara,  Miss  Ellen. 
O'Neill,  Miss  Geraldine,  N.  Y.  City. 
O'Shea,  John,  New  York  City. 
O'Beirne,  Mrs.  Mary,  New  York  City. 
O'Kane,  Cornelius,  New  York  City. 
Preston,  Herbert  A.,  Wash.,  D.  C. 
Paris,    Mrs.    Sherman,    Charlestown, 

N.  H. 
Plunkett,  James,  New  York  City. 
Pintell,  Miss  M.,  New  York  City. 
Perkins,  Miss  M.,  Morristown,  N.  J. 


Pychowska,  Mrs.  L.  D.,  Hoboken,  N.fJ. 
Piet,  John  B.,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Richmond,  Mrs.  J.  B. 
Richards,  H.  L.,  Jr.,  Winchester.Mass. 
Ryan,  P.  H.,  Tiffin  City,  O. 
Roony,  J.  J.,  New  York  City. 
Reilly,  Mrs.  A.  C,  New  York  City. 
Robinson,  Judge  W.  C,  New  Haven, 

Conn. 
Richmond,  Dr.  J.  B.,  Newark,  N.  J. 
Richards,  Miss  L.  A.,  Wash.,  D.  C. 
Ring,  T.  F.,  Boston,  Mass. 
Reilly,  James,  New  York  City. 
Reynolds,  W.  S.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Reid,  Dr. 

Rudd,  D.  A.,  Cincinnati,  O. 
Ringrose,  J.  W.,  New  Britain,  Conn. 
Reynaud,  Albert,  New  York  City. 
Southwick,  Mrs.  H.,  New  York  City. 
Smith,  Miss  Ida  M.,  Norwalk,  Conn. 
Simpson,  Mrs.,  New  York  City. 
Smith,  Mrs.  Hamilton,  N.  Y.  City. 
Smith,  Mrs.  T.  C,  New  York  City. 
Snell,  M.  M.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Shannon,  Mrs.  John,  New  York  City. 
Shelly,  Miss  M.  V.,  New  York  City. 
Seeney,  B.  C. 

Scott,  E.  F.,  New  York  City. 
Shipman,  A.  J.,  New  York  City. 
Serrano,  Mrs.  M.  J. 
Sullivan,  Miss  K.,  New  York  City. 
Smith,  Milton  E.,  Wash.,  D.  C. 
Smith,  W.  F.,  New  Britain,  Conn. 
Titus,  W.  Q. 

Treacy,  R.  S.,  New  York  City. 
Tully,  Bernard,  Norwalk,  Conn. 
Tack,  T.  E.,  New  York  City. 
White,  John,  New  York  City. 
Wallace,  Miss  Agnes,  New  York  City. 
Whitty,  Miss  Mary,  New  York  City. 
Waddington,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.,  New 

York  City. 
Wigger,  Robert,  New  York  City. 
Whall,  W.  B.  F. 

Waddington,  Miss  E.,  New  York  City. 
Walsh,  Miss  M.,  New  York  City.     . 
Wolff,  G.  D.,  Norristown,  Pa. 
Walsh,  Michael,  New  York  City. 
Walsh,  John,  New  Britain,  Conn. 
Yeakel,  Mrs.  Paul,  New  York  City. 


OPKNING  SBRIVEON 

AT   THE 

Convention  of  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press, 

Church  of  St.   Paul,  the  Apostle,  January  6,  1892. 
by  rev.  michael  lavelle,  of  the  new  york  cathedral. 

Our  text  to-day  will  be  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  "  I  became  all 
things  to  all  men  that  I  might  gain  all  to  Christ,"  and  our  sub- 
ject will  be  the  topic  which  naturally  presents  itself  for  this  oc- 
casion, the  printing-press  in  connection  with  the  dissemination  of 
Catholic  truth.  There  is  a  poetic  fitness  in  the  fact  that  this 
first  Convention  of  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  is  held  in  a  church 
bearing  the  name  of  the  great  St.  Paul,  of  whom  it  can  be  said 
that  his  words  went  into  the  whole  earth,  and  resounded  through 
every  portion  of  the  globe. 

He,  with  his  fellow-laborers,  began  a  work  which,  in  human 
eyes,  was  impossible.  But  before  one  century  had  elapsed  since 
the  death  of  the  last  of  the  Apostles,  the  greatest  Christian  writer 
of  the  day  could  tell  the  heathens  that  his  co-religionists  were  to 
be  found  in  every  portion  of  the  then  known  world.  So  may  it 
be  with  this  work  of  the  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE  PRESS !  May  the 
blessing  of  God,  through  the  intercession  of  St.  Paul  and  of  all 
the  Apostles,  rest  upon  this  work,  and  upon  the  ways  and  means 
which  will  be  here  adopted  for  the  salvation  of  souls !  The  Holy 
Sacrifice  will  soon  be  offered  for  the  fulfilment  of  this  prayer, 
and  it  becomes  him  who  speaks  here  to  say  a  few  words  out- 
lining the  importance  of  the  work,  giving  some  idea  of  the 
amount  of  good  that  can  be  accomplished  by  it.  In  order  to 
get  this  idea  clearly  into  our  mind,  two  things  are  necessary: 
first,  to  view  the  world  as  it  stands  to-day  in  comparison  with 
former  times  ;  secondly,  to  learn  how  we  can  use  the  resources 
of  this  newly-conditioned  world  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
salvation  of   souls. 

First,  what  is  the  condition  of  the  world  in  general  compared 
with  what  it  was  only  a  short  time  ago?  Some  have  supposed 
that  the  writers  of  the  Arabian  Nights  did  not  draw  simply  up- 
on their  imaginations  for   their    works,    but    that    their  romances, 


1 6  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

instead  of  being  idle  dreams,  were  really  bold  guesses  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  future  science.  However  it  may  be,  this  much  is  cer- 
tain :  greater  far  than  the  magical  triumphs  of  the  lamp  of  Alad- 
din are  those  of  modern  perseverance,  competition,  and  inge- 
nuity. 

Why,  we  travel  to  Europe  now  in  a  fraction  over  five  days,  in 
vessels. that  are  as  remarkable  for  comfort  as  they  are  for  speed.  We 
go  to  Washington  in  live  hours,  to  Buffalo  in  eight,  to  Chicago 
in  twenty-four,  to  San  Francisco  in  a  hundred.  The  news  of  the 
world  is  flashed  over  continents  and  under  seas  with  the  rapidity 
of  the  lightning  itself.  We  speak,  actually  speak,  to  our  friends 
and  acquaintances  at  distances  of  hundreds  of  miles.  We  record 
the  very  tones  of  our  voices  in  the  phonograph.  We  have  a 
metal  called  aluminium,  which,  when  its  uses  are  developed,  will 
revolutionize  manufactures.  And  in  the  political  order  how  great 
are  the  changes !  In  this  country  a  government  of  the  people, 
by  the  people,  for  the  people,  in  which  the  vote  of  the  poorest 
and  most  unknown  is  just  as  powerful  as  his  whose  position  is 
highest  in  the  halls  of  wealth  and  of  fame.  And  yet  this  govern- 
ment is,  as  we  all  know,  the  best  beloved,  the  most  just,  the  most 
practically  useful  that  this  world  has  ever  seen. 

Surely,  then,  we  can  say  that  our  age,  at  least  as  far  as  mate- 
rial and  temporal  advantages  are  concerned,  surpasses  far  every 
other  period  of  human  history.  But  that  which  contributes 
most  of  all  to  its  greatness  is  the  Printing-Press  and  its  devel- 
opment. The  Printing-Press  bears  to  modern  progress,  to  the 
advance  of  science,  whether  natural,  political,  or  social,  the  rela- 
tion that  the  ocean  bears  to  the  world.  The  ocean  is  the  great 
well  from  which  ascends  all  the  moisture  which  fertilizes  the 
earth,  and  it  is  at  the  same  time  itself  the  diffuser  of  that  mois- 
ture. By  the  Press  all  the  inventions  and  improvements  of 
modern  science  and  life  are  absorbed  ;  every  one  of  them  is  used 
for  its  purposes, 'and  it  is  at  the  same  time  the  means  by  which 
they  are  diffused  throughout  the  world  and  made  available  for 
the  happiness  of  mankind.  By  means  of  the  Press  we  enjoy 
what  we  have  achieved,  and  we  go  on  improving  constantly  and 
surely  in  a  way  that  would  be  utterly  impossible  without  it.  Not 
only  this,  but  the  Press  has  made  education  popular.  The  edu- 
cation of  all  mankind  is  not  only  a  possibility,  but  in  the  not 
distant  future  will  be  an  accomplished  fact.  It  is  gradually  de- 
stroying the  barriers  of  race  and  of  tongue.  It  has  helped  to 
bring  about  already,  in  a  measure,  the  poet's  dream — "  the  parlia- 
ment of  men,  the  federation  of  the  world.'* 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  17 

I  do  not  think  that  it  is  any  exaggeration  to  assert  that  the 
most  powerful  embodiment  of  human  force  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  to-day  is  the  Printing-Press.  I  do  not  mean  in  brute  power, 
but  in  moral  power,  whether  that  power  be  for  good  or  for  bad. 

Now,  what  have  been  and  are  the  relations  of  the  Catholic 
Church  towards  this  great  power  ?  We  must  never  forget  that 
the  Catholic  Church  has  been  not  only  the  spiritual  saviour,  but 
also  the  material  civilizer  of  mankind.  She  is  always  abreast  of 
the  age.  Abreast  ? — rather  in  advance  of  the  age,  leading  every- 
thing that  can  be  good  for  the  material  as  well  as  for  the  spir- 
itual wants  of  the  world.  Think  what  this  earth  was  when  the 
Gospel  was  first  preached !  The  world  was  a  handful  of  free 
men  and  a  race  of  slaves,  and  the  slave  was  so  despised  that  in 
the  Latin  tongue  he  was  called  mancipium,  a  neuter  noun,  to 
show  that  he  was  regarded  not  as  a  person,  but  simply  as  a 
thing.  The  condition  of  woman,  of  mother,  sister,  daughter,  wife, 
was  little  better  than  that  of  the  common  slave.  Despot- 
ism of  the  most  tyrannical  kind  ruled  in  every  government 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  Such  a  thing  as  the  equality  of  man 
was  unknown.  And  if  to-day  there  is  charity  and  brotherly  love ; 
if  to-day  the  shackles  of  the  slave  have  been  broken  and 
cast  off ;  if  to-day  woman,  wife,  mother,  daughter,  sister,  holds 
her  proper  place  by  the  side  and  not  under  the  feet  of  man ; 
if  the  doctrines  of  human  liberty  and  the  equality  of  mankind 
have  any  such  thing  as  acceptance  among  human  beings,  it  is 
due  either  to  the  actual  work  or  to  the  inspiration  of  the  genius  of 
Catholic  faith.  On  this  point  there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  it 
should  never  be  absent  from  our  minds.  But  it  is  especially 
true  regarding  the  equality  of  men  and  the  brotherhood  of 
mankind.  Eighteen  hundred  years  before  it  was  asserted  in  the 
Declaration  of  American  Independence,  when  hitherto  the  doctrine 
had  never  been  broached  upon  the  earth,  the  Catholic  Church  de- 
clared, in  the  face  of  kings  and  of  princes  and  of  all  the  rulers 
of  the  world,  that  before  God,  who  made  us  all,  all  men,  high 
and  low,  rich  and  poor,  stand  equal  and  independent. 

Now,  if  the  church  has  been  thus  forward,  if  she  has  been 
such  a  constant  leader  of  every  good  work  for  the  welfare  of 
the  human  race  even  here  on  earth,  it  is  not  likely  that  she 
has  been  behind-hand  with  regard  to  the  printing-press.  And 
as  a  matter  of  fact  it  was  a  Catholic  who  invented  the  printing- 
press.  The  first  book  ever  published  was  a  Bible — published  by 
a  Catholic  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  Catholic  people.  And 
ever  since  that  day    the  Church  has  aided,  has    encouraged,    and 


1 8  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

supported  all  those  who  have  striven  to  educate  mankind  by- 
means  of  this  great  power.  Consequently,  when  we  meet  for  the 
Apostolate  of  the  Press,  w^e  meet  as  people  who  are  in  pos- 
session of  their  own  birthright,  and  who  wish  to  bring,  if  possible, 
nearer  to  the  church,  to  make  more  useful  for  all  that  is  good 
and  true,  the  greatest  moral  power  with  which  we  are  now  ac- 
quainted. 

But  would  to  God  that  the  only  use  of  the  press  had  been 
to  propagate  what  is  good  and  true !  Unhappily,  it  has  often  been 
used,  and  it  is  used  extensively  in  our  own  days,  to  spread 
broadcast  both  error  and  vice.  It  has  been,  indeed,  a  powerful 
instrument  for  good.  But  it  has  been  in  too  •  many  cases  the 
cause  of  eternal  perdition.  What  we  want  is  to  get  it  within 
the  grasp  of  good  men  and  women,  just  as  Franklin  did  with 
the  lightnings  of  heaven.  Until  the  time  of  Franklin,  the  light- 
ning-flash was  simply  an  instrument  of  destruction.  He  it  was 
who  first  chained  that  lightning,  taught  us  how  to  prevent  it 
from  doing  us  harm,  and  began  that  long  series  of  experiments 
which  has  made  electricity  man's  docile  servant.  So,  we  would 
take  counsel  together  how  to  make  the  press  a  servant  of  human 
virtue  and  happiness. 

The  Press  is  a  giant  in  ink  and  paper  and  type.  We  wish 
to  subdue  this  giant  in  such  a  way  that  he  will  do  least  harm 
and  the  most  good. 

I  speak  under  correction  if  I  am  wrong.  To  my  mind  the 
great  majority  of  people  read  nothing  from  the  day  they  leave 
school  until  the  day  they  die  except  newspapers,  novels,  and 
secular  magazines.  To  my  mind,  again  I  speak  under  correction, 
this  is,  at  least  from  one  point  of  view,  not  a  retrograde  move- 
ment. In  former  times  people  did  not  read  at  all.  Now  we 
have  come  to  the  point  where  everybody  reads  at  least  a  certain 
amount  of  something.  The  work  of  the  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE 
Press  is  and  will  be  to  encourage  and  to  provide  literature  that 
is  solid,  literature  that  is  good,  literature  that  is  true  ;  to  induce 
people  to  make  use  of  this  literature,  and  in  this  way  to  elevate 
the  popular  morals  to  the  highest  possible  plane  ;  to  disseminate 
Catholic  truth  in  places  where  it  is  not  rightly  known  ;  and  to 
make  it  stronger  and  more  practical  in  the  hearts  of  those  who 
possess  it  already. 

In  studying  how  to  do  this,  I  have  a  few  suggestions  to 
offer.  First,  I  say  to  the  members  of  the  Convention,  be  large- 
minded.  Have  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  work  of  the  APOS- 
TOLATE OF   THE    Press    and  the    good    that    it    can    accompHsli. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  19 

Just  think  of  our  immense  daily  papers,  often  containing  more 
matter  than  a  large  book,  gotten  up  within  a  few  hours,  sold  for 
two  or  three  cents,  although  one  single  edition  costs  a  fortune, 
and  the  proprietors  realizing  fortunes  themselves  from  the  re- 
turns. 

Is  there  no  lesson  for  us  in  this  ?  You  will  say  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  do  this  with  Catholic  literature.  Well,  everybody  told 
those  who  started  the  daily  newspapers  on  the  lines  on  which 
they  are  now  conducted  that  the  enterprise  was  not  only  an  im- 
possibility, but  was  preposterous  and  absurd.  Be  courageous, 
therefore.  You  have  to  discuss  the  means  by  which  great  en- 
terprises can  be  accomplished.  Remember  that  if  the  dif^culties 
are  great  the  possibilities  are  immense,  and  that  if  we  Catholics 
use  them  to  the  best  advantage   we  can  do  an  incalculable  good. 

Secondly,  be  fair.  You  will  be  told  many  times,  because  it 
is  a  fact,  that  Catholic  books  are  dear  ;  that  Catholic  newspapers 
are  edited  and  conducted  with  too  much  financial  trepidation  ; 
that  not  enough  money  is  spent  upon  them  to  make  them  com- 
pare with  the  daily  papers  in  point  of  either  dress  or  literary 
merit.  But  be  fair !  The  future  will  bring  forth  cheap,  good 
Catholic  books  and  newspapers,  of  tvhich  every  Catholic  heart 
will  be  proud.  But  cast  no  act,  no  word  of  aspersion  on  those 
who  have  gone  before  you,  sowing  in  tears  that  you  may  reap 
in  joy.  The  Catholic  people,  the  Catholic  bishops  and  priests  in 
this  country,  have,  to  a  great  extent,  been  in  the  position  of 
poor  laboring  men,  working  for  their  daily  bread.  They  have 
had  to  provide  the  absolute  necessaries  of  spiritual  life  ;  to  look 
after  the  building  of  churches,  of  schools,  of  seminaries,  in  order 
that  the  seed  might  be  planted  for  a  great  and  glorious  harvest. 
And  those  who  at  great  sacrifice,  with  the  certainty  of  poverty 
as  the  result  of  their  toil,  have  been  brave  enough  to  walk  into 
the  fields  of  our  literature,  to  publish  books,  to  write  books,  to 
edit  newspapers  and  magazines — brethren,  such  men  are  deserv- 
ing of  all  the  honor,  of  all  the  praise  that  human  hearts  can 
give  to  those  who  have  deliberately  martyred  themselves  for  the 
propagation  of  a  great  cause. 

I  have  said  be  large-minded  in  your  ideas,  be  fair.  I  have 
one  word  more  to  say,  and  I  hope  to  make  it  clear  by  an  ex- 
ample. Years  ago,  when  the  idea  of  secession  was  first  broached 
in  these  United  States,  a  great  state  dinner  was  given  in  Wash- 
ington. Towards  its  end  the  President  of  the  United  States,  I 
think  it  was  Andrew  Jackson,  arose  and  proposed  a  toast.  He 
said  :  "  Gentlemen,  I  propose  to  you  the  Union  !     It  must  and    it 


20  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

shall  be  preserved."  There  was  great  cheering  from  parts  of 
the  hall  and  hisses  from  others.  A  gentleman  with  contrary- 
views  arose  and  proposed  another  toast.  He  said  :  *'  Gentlemen, 
I  give  you  the  sentiment — Liberty  !  Dearer  far  than  union." 
There  was  great  confusion  among  the  guests  for  a  moment.  Then 
arose  Daniel  Webster,  and  he  gave  the  sentiment  which  we  read 
upon  the  base  of  his  statue  in  Central  Park  to-day.  He  said  : 
^*  Gentlemen,  I  propose  to  you  this  sentiment — Liberty  and  union, 
now  and  for  ever,  one  and  inseparable."  The  cheers  that  rent  the 
hall  were  like  the  roar  of  a  battery  of  artillery.  He  proposed 
an  idea,  or  a  combination  of  ideas,  which  were  and  are  of  the 
greatest  possible  advantage  for  all  the  country,  and  which  I 
would  offer  to  the  members  of  this  Convention  as  best  calculated 
to  help  their  work.  You  want  union.  In  union  alone  there  is 
strength.  The  State  of  New  York,  if  she  existed  by  herself  as  an 
independent  power,  would  be  of  very  little  importance  ;  but  as 
an  integral  part  of  the  United  States  she  has  a  voice  in  shaping 
the  destinies  of  the  world.  You  want  union  ;  you  want  to  work 
together  ;  you  need  good  will  from  every  side.  But  at  the 
same  time  leave  absolute  liberty  to  all  good  men  and  women. 
Do  not  in  the  least  interfere  with  the  working  of  the  great 
principle  of  Home  Rule.  Whatever  organizations  may  be  formed, 
not  by  this  Convention  (for  it  proposes  to  form  none),  but  as 
the  result  of  it,  let  those  two  ideas  remain  always  together. 
Union  you  want  in  the  sense  of  having  mutual  love,  mutual  en- 
couragement, mutual  assistance  wherever  it  may  be  required. 
Leave  every  portion  of  the  country,  leave  different  parts  of  the 
community,  entirely  free  to  choose  their  own  methods.  You  will 
thus  secure  the  co-operation  of  many  minds  ;  you  will  gain 
friends  that  could  not  otherwise  be  obtained,  and  you  will  pro- 
vide the  best  of  human  means  for  your  success. 

I  said  in  the  beginning  that  there  is  a  poetic  fitness  in  hold- 
ing this  Convention  in  the  Church  and  under  the  patronage  of 
the  great  Apostle*  St.  Paul.  It  is  beautiful,  too,  that  it  is  held 
on  this  Feast  of  the  Epiphany,  the  day  when  our  Lord  first 
caused  his  light  to  shine  on  the  Gentiles.  I  know  that  every 
one  will  pray  earnestly  that  the  beginnings  of  this  work  may  be 
as  wisely  led  as  were  the  three  kings  of  old  ;  that  it  may  spread 
and  grow  under  God's  protecting  providence,  in  harmony,  in 
peace,  in  love,  in  total  devotion  to  the  cause  of  whatever  is 
true  and  good,  and  that  its  success  may  be  such  as  to  bring 
the  light  of  faith  and  the  warmth  of  charity  to  every  heart  in 
our  country. 


PAPERS   AND   LET^TPERS 

Read  at  the  Convention. 


THE    ATTITUDE    OF    THE     EDUCATED    PROTESTANT 
MIND  TOWARD   CATHOLIC   TRUTH. 

BY   PROF.   W.    C.    ROBINSON,    OF   YALE    UNIVERSITY. 

The  conclusions  hereinafter  stated  are  based  in  part  upon 
the  following  items  of  personal  experience  : 

My  youth  and  early  manhood  were  spent  entirely  among 
Protestants.  All  my  adult  relatives  and  nearly  all  my  neigh- 
bors were  members  of  the  Methodist,  Baptist,  Congregational, 
or  Episcopal  churches.  They  were  a  devout,  prayerful  people, 
diligent  in  searching  the  Scriptures  and  in  teaching  its  pre- 
cepts to  their  children,  rigorous  in  their  adherence  to  the 
standards  of  Christian  morality,  earnest  in  every  good  word  and 
work.  A  few  of  them  still  survive.  Those  who  have  died  de- 
parted this  life  in  joyful,  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
looking  for  salvation  through  the  merits  of  their  Lord  and 
Saviour,  Jesus  Christ.  Since  I  became  a  Catholic  (now  nearly 
thirty  years  ago)  I  have  lived  in  constant  and  intimate  associa- 
tion with  non-Catholic  authors,  teachers,  clergymen,  and  lawyers : 
the  men  who  form  the  public  opinion  of  the  day  on  social, 
ethical,  and  religious  questions,  and  indirectly  on  political  ques- 
tions also.  Many  of  these  are  active  members  of  the  Protes- 
tant churches  ;  a  large  proportion  of  the  rest  are  religiously  dis- 
posed— in  will,  if  not  in  intellect  and  profession,  submitting 
themselves  to  the  guidance  of  Christian  law  and  doctrine.  Of 
most  of  them  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  they  are  sincere, 
upright,  and  conscientious  men,  who,  so  far  as  they  perceive  and 
comprehend  it,  are  loyal  to  the  truth  and  ready  to  make  what- 
ever personal  sacrifice  such  loyalty  may  entail.  Of  the  Catholic 
Church  they  know  comparatively  nothing.  Her  external  history, 
as  an  organized  society,  they  perhaps  to  some  extent  discern, 
but  of  her  inner  life,  her  doctrinal  teachings,  her  moral  rule 
and  discipline,  they  have  as  yet  not  even  a  remote  conception. 
Their    antagonism    to    her,  as    a  church,  is    negative    rather   than 


22  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

positive,  resulting  from  that  false  idea  of  her  purposes  and 
methods  which  was  transmitted  to  them  by  their  ancestors,  but 
which  they  ever  show  themselves  ready  to  abandon  when  its 
falsehood  is  discovered.  Their  personal  attitude  towards  those 
Catholics  who  are  true  to  their  religion,  whatever  be  their  race 
or  social  standing,  is  almost    always  generous  and  friendly. 

I. — Confining  that  which  follows  to  the  class  of  persons  thus 
described,  I  maintain,  in  the  first  place,  that  what  they  need 
from  us  is  knowledge  and  not  argument. 

Divine  truth  bears  such  a  relation  to  the  human  soul,  illu- 
minated by  the  light  which  lighteth  every  man  that  is  born 
into  the  world,  that  whenever  the  truth  is  clearly  perceived  the 
soul  inclines  toward  it,  and  unless  hindered  by  a  perverse  will 
accepts  and  believes  it.  As  the  body  does  not  reject  the  food 
created  for  and  adapted  to  its  sustenance  by  the  providence  of 
God  ;  as  the  mind  does  not  refuse  the  knowledge  of  exterior 
facts  communicated  to  it  by  the  organs  of  sensation  ;  so  neither 
does  the  soul  of  any  man  of  good  will  repudiate  a  divine  truth 
which  it  has  once  fully  apprehended.  To  persons  thus  disposed 
the  exact  and  intelligible  statement  of  a  truth  is  in  itself  a 
demonstration.  Proof  of  its  divine  origin,  or  of  the  divine 
authority  of  its  proclaimer,  is  not  indispensable  to  its  accep- 
tance. The  truth  affirms  itself  to  the-  soul  as  light  does  to  the 
eye  or  music  to  the  ear.  So  far  as  argument  tends  to  explain 
the  truth  it  is  merely  another  form  of  statement,  and  may  be 
serviceable ;  but  when  it  passes  beyond  this  and  becomes  an 
effort  to  compel  conviction,  however  sound  and  impregnable  it 
may  be  in  itself,  it  rouses  an  antagonism  in  the  will  which  is 
inconsistent  with  clear  spiritual  vision,  and  creates  side  issues  by 
which  the  truth  presented  is  often  hopelessly  obscured.  Every 
one  who  has  engaged  in,  or  has  witnessed,  religious  controversy 
must  have  been  painfully  impressed  with  its  futility,  if  not  with 
the  actual  hindrances  it  presents  to  the  reception  of  the  truth. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  no  one  who  has  observed  the  instant, 
spontaneous  adhesion  of  the  candid  mind  to  truth  clearly  and 
completely  stated,  can  doubt  by  what  method  assent  to  it  is 
most  readily  obtained.  To  illustrate  my  position,  I  may  be 
pardoned  for  narrating  an  incident  which  occurred  within  my 
own  experience.  Some  twenty  years  ago  a  devout  old  Metho- 
dist woman,  expostulating  with  me  on  account  of  my  belief  in 
various  articles  of  Catholic  faith,  made  her  last  and  strongest  at- 
tack   upon    the    doctrine    of    the    Immaculate    Conception   of   the 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  23 

Blessed  Virgin.  "  No  reasonable  man,  above  all  no  Christian 
man,"  said  she,  "  could  believe  such  idolatrous  nonsense  as  that." 
"  What  do  you  mean  by  the  Immaculate  Conception  ?  "  said  I. 
To  which  she  gave  an  answer  ludicrous  enough  to  Catholic  ears, 
but  which  would  probably  be  the  reply  of  nearly  every  Protes- 
tant in  the  world.  "  Listen  a  moment,"  said  I,  when  she  had 
finished  ;  and  I  then  explained  to  her,  as  simply  as  I  could, 
what  the  church  teaches  on  the  subject.  As  I  went  on  the  as- 
pect of  her  face  changed,  her  eyes — filled  with  tears — lifted 
themselves  toward  heaven,  and  as  I  stopped  she  said,  speak- 
ing to  herself  rather  than  to  me,  "  How  could  it  be  otherwise  ? 
How  could  it  be  otherwise  ? "  Numerous  instances,  similar  to 
this,  lie  along  the  path  of  every  intelligent  Catholic  who  comes 
intimately  into  contact  with  the  earnest,  conscientious  multitudes 
around  us,  and  forces  upon  his  mind  the  conviction  that  their 
great  need  is  light  and  knowledge,  and  that  the  duty  of  the 
church  toward  them  in  their  present  condition  is  to  place  before 
them  a  correct  and  complete  statement  of  her  doctrines,  in  lan- 
guage so  simple  and  intelligible  that  they  cannot  fail  to  under- 
stand. The  day  is  passed  when  attacks  on  so-called  "  Protes- 
tant errors  "  can  serve  any  useful  purpose.  It  is  time  to  recog- 
nize, practically  as  well  as  theoretically,  that  the  honest  adhesion 
of  the  human  soul  to  error  is  a  manifestation  of  its  disposition 
to  adhere  to  the  truth,  and  that  the  error  is  "  never  accepted 
for  its  own  sake,  but  because  it  is  fortuitously  associated  with 
an  apprehended  truth."  Earnestness  in  seeking,  fidelity  in  pro- 
fessing, zeal  in  promulgating  any  religious  doctrine  are  thus  the 
strongest  possible  evidences  of  that  good-will  toward  the  truth 
which  renders  its  acceptance  inevitable  when  once  it  is  per- 
ceived ;  and  of  these  evidences  the  Protestant  world  is  full  to 
overflowing.  To  define  the  truth  which  they  already  possess,  to 
extricate  it  from  the  errors  by  which  it  is  obscured,  to  add  to 
it  those  other  truths  which  at  once  interpret  and  complete  their 
doctrinal  systems,  and  thus  presenj:  to  them  divine  truth  whole 
and  entire,  as  God  has  revealed  it  for  the  illumination  of  the 
human  soul,  for  the  solution  of  all  its  doubts,  for  the  inspiration 
of  all  its  energies,  and  for  the  perfecting  of  its  knowledge  of 
the  Infinitely  Good  and  Beautiful  and  True,  this  is  the  work 
which  through  the  pulpit  or  the  press  (but  under  present  cir- 
cumstances principally  through  the  press)  the  Catholic  Church 
must  do  if  it  would  gather  in  this  wonderful  and  precious  har- 
vest of  loyal,  loving   souls. 


24  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

II. — I  have  said  that  what  the  church  owes  to  the  sincere 
souls  that  are  without  is  the  correct  and  complete  statement 
of  her  doctrines  in  language  so  simple  and  intelligible  that  they 
cannot  fail  to  understand.  I  wish  to  emphasize  both  members 
of  this  sentence. 

Any  statement  of  Catholic  truth,  to  be  really  serviceable  to 
the  people  I  describe,  must  be  not  only  correct  but  complete. 
The  doctrines  of  religion  are  not  isolated  truths,  each  indepen- 
dent of  the  others  and  capable  of  comprehension  separately  from 
them.  On  the  contrary,  they  form  a  system  or  body  of  truth, 
in  which  each  element  is  so  related  to  the  others  as  to  be  not 
merely  incomplete  but  unintelligible  without  them.  As  there  is 
not  an  organ  in  the  human  body,  however  concealed  or  insignifi- 
cant, whose  anatomical  and  physiological  character  can  be  com- 
prehended without  a  knowledge  of  all  the  other  organs  and  of 
their  co-operation  with  it,  so  does  each  proposition  of  divine 
truth  receive  its  definition  and  interpretation  from  the  others, 
and  is  truly  known  only  when  they  are  also  understood.  Who, 
for  example,  can  apprehend  the  doctrines  underlying  the  sacra- 
ment of  baptism,  or  the  distinction  between  heaven  and  hell, 
unless  he  has  a  prior  acquaintance  with  the  doctrines  of  original 
sin,  or  attain  this  without  a  previous  knowledge  of  the  relations 
between  God  and  man  both  in  nature  and  in  grace  ?  Here 
seems  to  me  to  lie  the  main  cause  of  that  almost  universal  igno- 
rance, among  otherwise  well-informed  Protestants,  concerning  the 
inner  life,  the  teachings,  and  the  discipline  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  The  Catholic  truths  with  which  they  have  already  come 
in  contact  are  fragmentary,  detached  from  their  proper  setting, 
unexplained  by  their  necessary  antecedents,  and  consequently 
they  have  neither  been  presented  to  them  nor  rejected  by  them 
in  their  Catholic  sense.  Their  hostility  to  the  church,  such  as  it 
is,  is  based  upon  the  misconceptions  thus  engendered,  and  in 
their  warfare  against  her  they  are  constantly  fighting  "  men  of 
straw,"  figments  of  discipline,  and  dogma  which  have  no  exist- 
ence in  her  creed  or  moral  law,  or  anywhere  else  except  in  the 
erroneous  constructions  they  have  ignorantly  put  upon  her 
words.  The  removal  of  this  ignorance  requires  a  statement  of 
the  entire  body  of  Catholic  truth,  including  not  merely  every 
doctrine  which  is  matter  of  faith,  but  also  such  as  are  of  general 
recognition  in  the  church,  and  such  propositions  of  philosophy 
as  must  be  present  in  the  mind  before  the  definitions  and  con- 
clusions of  theology  can  be  understood.  Nothing  less  than  a 
statement  of  this   character   can,  in    my   judgment,  rneet  the  cur- 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  25 

rent  emergency.  Numberless  are  the  uses  of  sermons,  tracts, 
magazine  articles,  and  other  forms  of  limited  and  fugitive  dis- 
cussion, but  none  of  them  can  ever  answer  this  purpose.  Not 
until  the  candid  inquirer  has  within  his  reach,  in  a  single  vol- 
ume, a  succinct  but  nevertheless  complete  exposition  of  the  truth 
as  taught  by  the  Catholic  Church  can  he  be  expected  fully  to 
perceive  any  truth,  or  to  yield  that  assent  which  the  compre- 
hension of  the  truth  compels  ? 

III. — Moreover  the  statement  of  the  truth  must  be  so  simple 
and  intelligible  that  they  cannot  fail  to  understand.  A  second 
difificulty  encountered  in  communicating  to  Protestants  a  know- 
ledge of  Catholic  truth,  not  so  important  as  the  former  but  still 
of  serious  moment,  arises  from  their  unfamiliarity  with  Catholic 
terminology,  and  from  the  equal  want  of  knowledge  of  Protestant 
modes  of  speech  on  the  part  of  Catholic  writers.  Two  worlds 
of  thought  more  different  from  each  other  than  those  in  which 
Catholics  and  Protestants  habitually  dwell,  can  hardly  be  imagined ; 
and  one  who  has  not  lived  in  both,  however  skilful  in  the  use 
of  language,  can  rarely  make  the  conceptions  of  the  one  intelli- 
gible to  the  other.  How  often  does  it  happen  that  for  lack  of 
this  mutual  understanding  of  each  other  authors  and  teachers 
appear  to  disagree,  while  to  one  who  comprehends  the  true 
meaning  of  both,  their  convictions  are  evidently  the  same.  Not 
long  since  I  was  present  at  the  reading  of  a  paper  on  a  Catho 
lie  doctrine  by  a  distinguished  scholar  of  the  church  before  a 
learned  society  mainly  composed  of  Protestants,  The  reading 
was  followed  by  a  discussion,  in  which  the  positions  taken  in  the 
paper  were  attacked  and  defended.  But  it  was  a  conflict  of 
words  only.  The  Protestant  auditors  gave  to  the  terms  used  by 
the  Catholic  scholar  interpretations  which  from  his  point  of  view 
they  did  not  bear,  and  thus  were  led  to  dispute  propositions 
which  had  they  understood  them  in  his  sense  they  would  have 
willingly  endorsed.  This  difificulty  must  be  overcome  in  any 
statement  of  Catholic  truth  for  the  information  of  Protestants  or 
the  statement  itself  may  prove  worse  than  useless.  They  cannot 
be  expected  to  recognize  this  danger  in  advance  and  prepare 
themselves  for  the  reading  of  our  literature  by  a  study  of  our 
peculiar  vocabulary.  Catholic  teachers  and  writers  must  use 
words  in  the  Protestant  sense,  and  must  learn  to  announce  Catho- 
lic truths  in  terms  which  convey  the  exact  conception  of  such 
truths  to  Protestant  minds,  or  all  efforts  in  the  direction  of  their 


26  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

enlightenment  will  be  in  vain.  In  the  statement  of  Catholic 
truth,  whose  desirability  I  have  discussed,  such  an  adaptation  of 
language  to  the  requirements  of  the  reader  would  be  supremely 
necessary.  Every  idea,  however  fundamental  and  however  gen- 
erally entertained,  should  be  so  expressed  that  its  precise  char- 
acter and  scope  can  never  thereafter  be  in  question.  The  mem- 
bers of  every  proposition,  and  also  the  proposition  as  a  whole, 
should  be  incapable  of  a  double  meaning,  and  bear  only  that  inter- 
pretation which  the  Protestant  reader  will  naturally  place  upon  its 
words.  Each  proposition  should  lead  up  to  its  successor  according 
to  the  Protestant  order  of  thought,  so  different  in  many  respects 
from  the  Catholic  one,  and  should  leave  behind  it  no  proper  interro- 
gatory of  the  soul  unanswered,  no  legitimate  doubt  unsolved.  The 
preparation  for  a  work  like  this  involves  a  vast  amount  of  labor ; 
the  work  itself  has  perhaps  no  parallel  in  the  past.  But  when 
did  ever  such  a  harvest  await  the  reaper?  When  was  there  ever 
a  people  who  needed  Catholic  truth  so  much.  When  was  there 
ever  a  people  whom  the  Catholic  Church  so  much  needed  ?  For 
the  conversion  of  Anglo-Saxon  Protestants  is  the  conversion  of 
the  world. 

IV. — Such  a  statement  of  Catholic  truth  as  I  have  described 
should  be  the  utterance  of  the  church  herself  and  not  of  any 
private  individual.  No  man  can  judge  of  his  own  qualifications 
for  the  task,  nor  were  he  qualified  ought  the  tongue  with  which  he 
speaks  to  be  one  of  personal  authority  alone.  Of  private  views 
on  religious  topics  the  Protestant  mind  is  sick  from  very  satiety, 
and  for  this  reason  many  are  on  every  side  turning  away  from 
abstract  truth  to  the  concrete  life  around  them,  and  seeking  in 
external  works  of  charity  that  rest  and  salvation  to  which  in  the 
interior  life  they  find  no  clue.  For  any  individual,  acting  on  his 
own  authority,  to  place  before  them  an  outline  of  Catholic  truth 
would  but  add,  for  many  of  them  at  least,  another  to  the  jarring 
voices  by  which  their  spiritual  ears  have  been  so  long  confused. 
But  when  the  church  speaks,  she  will  not  speak  in  vain.  If  the 
American  hierarchy,  either  by  a  committee  appointed  for  that 
purpose  or  through  some  prelate  whose  piety,  learning,  and  ec- 
clesiastical eminence  make  him  the  fitting  representative  and 
mouth-piece  of  his  colleagues,  thus  proclaims  the  truth,  it  will 
not  go  unheard  or  unaccepted.  The  eagerness  with  which  some 
publications,  in  this  general  direction,  have  been  received  already 
is  evidence  enough  of  what  a  welcome  is  in    store    for    the    mes- 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  27 

sage  which  shall  unlock  the  doors  of  all  the  mysteries  of  the 
truth,  and  make  the  whole  and  entire  gospel  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  intelligible  to  the  waiting  mind. 

V. — It  may  seem  a  descent  from  the  dignity  of  my  subject 
to  introduce  here  a  suggestion  as  to  the  material  form  in  which 
Catholic  truth  should  be  presented  to  our  non-Catholic  brethren  ; 
but  things  that  are  trifles  in  themselves  are  often  important  in 
their  consequences.  Protestants  are  accustomed  to  buy  books  of 
all  classes,  religious  and  secular,  well-printed  on  good  paper  and 
well-bound,  for  comparatively  small  sums  of  money.  If  Catholic 
literature  is  to  attract  their  attention,  especially  if  it  is  at  all  to 
obtain  their  patronage,  it  must  possess  the  same  attributes.  The 
publication  of  the  volume,  whose  preparation  I  have  advocated, 
with  poor  type,  cheap  paper,  and  shabby  binding  would  deprive 
it  of  a  large  proportion  of  its  value  for  the  missionary  work  for 
which  it  was  designed.  Even  if  it  were  distributed  gratuitously 
it  would  probably  in  most  cases  go  unread,  and  few  would  seek 
in  its  forbidding  pages  for  the  truths  therein  concealed.  What- 
ever excuse  there  may  have  been  for  it  in  the  past,  there  is  no 
sufificient  reason  at  the  present  day  why  Catholic  books  should 
not  vie  with  others  of  the  same  general  class  in  legibility,  dura- 
bility, and  cheapness. 

VI. — In  closing,  I  desire  to  say  a  few  words  on  the  methods 
by  which  Catholic  books  may  be  brought  within  the  reach  of 
Protestants.  The  degree  to  which  they  are  accessible  to  them 
to-day  is  exceedingly  limited.  For  twenty-five  years  I  have  lived 
in  one  of  our  large  university  towns,  having  a  population  of  over 
seventy-five  thousand  persons,  of  whom  at  least  one-third  are 
Catholics.  It  is  a  town  full  of  intellectual  life,  with  a  most  liberal 
and  friendly  spirit  toward  the  church  and  her  members,  and  a 
strong  disposition  to  co-operate  with  her  in  all  her  works  of 
charity  and  education.  But  there  is  not  now,  and  there  never 
has  been,  a  place  within  its  borders  where  Catholic  books,  in  any 
variety,  could  be  found.  In  a  few  news-ofifices  and  similar  es- 
tablishments the  ordinary  prayer-books  and  a  small  selection  of  de- 
votional manuals  are  kept,  but  neither  on  the  shelves  of  its 
bookstores  nor  anywhere  else  does  Catholic  literature  invite  in- 
spection and  seek  its  purchasers  and  readers.  And  there  is  no 
prospect  that,  under  present  methods,  it  will  ever  do  so.  Small 
dealers  are  unable,  large  dealers  are  unwilling,  to  carry  an  ex- 
pensive stock  which  may  not  be  readily  salable,  and  if  we  are  to 


28  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

wait  till  either  Protestants  or  Catholics  become  such  constant  and 
liberal  buyers  of  our  books  as  to  warrant  these  investments  by  local 
dealers,  many  a  day  must  pass  before  these  books  are  much 
more  accessible  than  now.  This  subject  has  long  occupied  my 
thoughts,  but  no  better  measure  than  the  following  has  ever  oc- 
curred to  me.  The  church  in  this  country  should  have  a  pub- 
lishing house  of  its  own,  established  and  controlled  by  the  Ameri- 
can hierarchy,  which  would  be  the  equivalent  in  most  respects  of 
the  Methodist  Book  Concern,  or  the  denominational  Sunday- 
School  Unions.  It  should  be  under  the  practical  direction  of  a 
body  of  ecclesiastical  and  lay  managers.  It  should  confine  its 
publications  to  missionary  books  and  Sunday-school  material.  It 
should  have  capital  enough  to  be  able  to  place  its  publications 
on  sale  on  commission  in  every  part  of  the  country,  and  within 
reach  of  every  considerable  body  of  readers.  The  amount  of 
good  to  be  accomplished  by  this  method  is  incalculable.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  if  for  the  past  twenty  years  there  had  been  kept 
in  one  of  the  great  bookstores  of  my  own  city  an  assortment  of 
one  hundred  Catholic  religious  works,  in  attractive  styles  and  at 
reasonable  prices,  their  sales  would  ere  this  have  been  counted 
by  many  thousands,  and  the  knowledge  of  Catholic  truth  among 
my  fellow-citizens  have  been  correspondingly  increased. 

If  this  Convention  does  no  other  work  than  to  set  on  foot  an 
enterprise  like  this,  the  most  sanguine  hopes  of  its  reverend  and 
beloved  promoter  will  eventually  be  more  than  realized. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  29 

THE  PRESS  AND  OLD-FASHIONED  PROTESTANTS. 

BY   RICHARD   MALCOLM   JOHNSTON,    OF   BALTIMORE,    MD. 

None  so  well  as  converts  know  what  piety,  integrity,  and 
courage  obtain  among  those  who  are  not  Catholics.  In  the 
Southern  States,  where  Protestantism  as  a  creed  is  perhaps 
more  firmly  set  than  in  any  other  region  in  the  Union,  there  al- 
ways have  been,  in  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  standards  of  per- 
sonal accountability  as  high  as  anywhere  else.  Not  a  fiftieth, 
perhaps  not  a  hundredth  part  of  the  population  in  rural  dis- 
tricts, until  within  the  period  of  a  few  years  last  gone,  ever  saw 
either  a  Catholic  church  or  a  Catholic  priest.  Vast  numbers 
have  never  seen  them  yet.  This  population  have  been  mainly 
Baptist  and  Methodist.  Generations  have  come  and  gone,  prac- 
tising while  in  life  the  teachings  of  these  denominations,  and 
dying  in  humble  hope  of  eternal  life.  Not  very  many  men,  al- 
most no  women,  failed  to  attach  themselves  to  what  they  entire- 
ly believed  a  fully  authorized  religious  communion.  Among  their 
clergy  have  been  many  devout  preachers,  some  with  powers  of 
eloquence  really  wonderful.  If  excusable  invincibility  ever  ex- 
isted among  a  true-hearted  people,  it  has  been  among  the  Pro- 
testants of  the  South,  whom,  in  the  conditions  of  their  life,  it 
was  not  possible  for  acquaintance  with  Catholic  faith  to  reach. 
Dogmatical  controversy  existed  (less  of  late  years  than  formerly), 
but  it  was  spent  almost  wholly  on  the  discussion  of  differing 
and  hostile  Protestant  tenets.  The  pope  was  so  far  away  and 
was  so  universally  admitted  to  be  both  Antichrist  and  the 
Woman  of  Babylon,  that  it  seemed  a  mere  waste  of  ammunition 
to  war  against  such  an  adversary.  Predestination  or  free  grace, 
open  communion  or  close  communion,  baptism  by  immersion  or 
otherwise,  these  and  other  such  were  the  issues  for  theological 
discussion.  Agnosticism  was  not  in  existence,  and  scarcely  any 
other  form  of  infidelity.  In  this  while,  counsellings  to  the  lead- 
ing of  pious  lives  and  warnings  against  the  practice  of  evil-doing 
of  every  sort  were  preached  from  pulpits  with  unction,  persua- 
siveness, and  power  that  seldom  have  been  surpassed  in  the 
whole  world.  Fifty  years  ago,  far  more  common  than  now  was 
the  habit  of  holding  family  prayers.  At  night  a  hymn  was  sung, 
a  chapter  from  the  Bible  was  read ;  then  was  said,  all  on  bended 


30  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

knees,  a  prayer  in  which  pardon  and  blessing  were  humbly  be- 
sought of  Heaven  by  worshippers  who  had  never  a  doubt  that 
their  own  forms  of  rendering  devotion,  if  made  in  becoming 
spirit,  were  such  as  Heaven  would  be  well  pleased  withal.  A 
convert  whose  childhood  and  youth  were  spent  amid  such  scenes 
must  recall  them  with  respect  and  fondness,  which  the  utmost 
confidence  in  his  changed  opinions,  and  unmixed  gratitude  for 
their  possession,  cannot  subdue. 

In  these  communities  the  Catholic  Church  was  seldom  alluded 
to.  Compassion  was  felt,  and  now  and  then  expressed  in  words, 
for  the  ignorance  and  credulity  of  an  occasional  poor  Irishman 
who  came  among  them  to  work  with  spade  and  shovel  or  mat- 
tock, and  was  foolish  enough,  a  hard-working  man,  to  abstain 
from  meat  on  Fridays,  although  easily  persuaded  to  take,  on 
that  and  other  days,  more  grog  than  was  good  for  him.  They 
honestly  believed  that  the  Catholic  faith  was  a  superstition  and 
an  idolatry,  known  to  be  so  by  the  leading  prelates  from  the 
pope  down.  What  was  more  hurtful,  they  as  honestly  believed 
that  the  Catholic  Church  was,  ever  had  been,  and  ever  would 
be  the  friend  and  strongest  supporter  of  despotic  governments  ; 
that  what  it  hated  most  was  individual  freedom  ;  that  it  ignored 
and  sought  to  cast  for  ever  out  the  Bible  ;  that  it  not  only  pre- 
tended to  absolve  from  sin,  but,  for  satisfactory  consideration  in 
money,  offered  license  to  commit  it,  particularly  in  the  case  of 
the  powerful,  without  whose  support  it  must  break  in  pieces. 
For  the  Catholics  among  their  acquaintance  who  were  cultured 
and  known  to  be  upright  in  general  deportment  Southern  Pro- 
testants felt  a  pleasant,  respectful  compassion,  wondering  how 
they  could  have  been  led  to  regard  an  aged  recluse  in  Rome  as 
not  only  impeccable  but  all-wise.  Freemen  like  themselves, 
speaking  as  they  did  the  language  of  freemen,  indulging  like 
them  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  freedom,  how,  they  asked, 
can  such  men  feel  this  strange  regard  for  one  shrivelled,  wifeless, 
childless  old  man  thousands  of  miles  away  ?  who  does  little  else 
but  feed  upon  fat  capons  and  costly  wines,  and  hold  out  his  toe 
to  be  kissed  by  worshippers  to  whom,  if  he  spoke  his  thoughts, 
he  would  say,  like  the  Veiled  Prophet  of  Khorassan  : 

"  Ye  would  be  dupes  and  victims,  and  ye  are." 

For  every  sort  of  authority  which  they  regarded  as  self-consti- 
tuted, the  hostility  felt  in  the  times  of  oppression  and  resistance 
became  disdain  in  the  times  of  independence  and  peace.  In 
most  of    the  States,  after  the  Revolutionary  War,  official  insignia 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  31 

were  stripped  from  magistrates  of  their  own  creation,  because 
they  were  reminders  of  a  regime  that  had  been  overthrown. 
Even  Episcopalianism  made  almost  no  increase,  because,  although 
Protestant,  it  was  foreign,  it  was  English.  The  late  Stephen 
Elliott,  Bishop  of  Georgia,  a  man  who  in  culture,  manners,  de- 
voutness,  charitableness,  eloquence,  and  in  all  other  qualities  be- 
coming a  prelate  had  few  superiors  in  the  Church  of  England, 
used  in  private,  among  his  most  thoughtful  followers,  to  talk, 
smiling  and  sighing  the  while,  of  the  prejudice  against  his  com- 
munion among  those  who  remembered  the  great  Protestant  doc- 
trine of  the  Reformation,  that  the  right  of  kings  was  divine.  In 
other  pulpits,  George  Foster  Pierce,  a  bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Church  South,  whose  life,  known  to  all,  was  as  simple  as  that  of 
the  poorest,  and  as  innocent  as  that  of  the  youngest  in  all  his 
diocese,  who  was  perhaps  the  most  eloquent  preacher  that  the 
whole  South  has  ever  produced,  whenever  (and  this  was  not  of- 
ten) in  controversial  mood,  poured  ridicule  upon  a  communion 
which  chose  to  occupy  the  ground  half-way  between  Rome  and 
the  rest  of  the  world. 

It  is  interesting  to  study  the  beneficent  results  which  some- 
times have  followed  movements,  whether  evil  or  apparently  insig- 
nificant. One  which  ^id  much  to  dispel  ignorance  of  what  the 
Catholic  Church  believes  and  teaches  was  that  commonly  styled 
Know-nothingism,  made  at  the  disintegration  of  the  Whig  party 
in  the  year  1855.  Persecution  of  opinions  of  any  sort  has  been 
followed  usually  by  reaction.  In  the  human  mind  there  seems 
to  be  an  appetency  to  persecute  for  opinion's  sake.  Yet  there- 
in the  Creator  has  set  upon  a  higher  plane  the  sense  and  love  of 
justice.  The  most  able,  cultured,  and  thoughtful  minds  in  the 
South,  while  they  knew  little  and  cared  no  more  for  Catholicity, 
were  pained  and  offended  by  efforts  to  abridge  the  rights  of 
those  who  were  among  its  adherents.  To  their  assistance  gener- 
ous men  went  as  they  would  have  gone  to  that  of  any  other 
weakling  writhing  under  pressure  to  which  it  was  unequal.  In 
defence  against  assaults  which,  as  it  seemed,  were  meant  to  re- 
duce and  utterly  exterminate,  they  must  examine,  with  the  help 
of  what  lights  could  be  obtained,  charges  suddenly  and  passion- 
ately brought  against  it.  Under  the  lead  of  such  men  as  Wise 
and  Randolph  Tucker  in  Virginia,  of  Romulus  Saunders  and 
William  Holden  in  North  Carolina,  of  Hammond  and  Orr  in 
South  Carolina,  of  Cobb  and  Stephens  in  Georgia,  this  party  was 
utterly  overthrown,  and  it  was  not  long  before  men  of  education 
were  ashamed  to  have  been  among  its  partisans. 


32  The  Apostolate  of  the  Pj?ess. 

In  all  this  while  it  was  found  that  many  things  which  had 
been  taken  for  granted  had  no  reasonable  foundation  in  fact, 
and  Catholics  were  believed  to  be — no  less,  no  more — good  citi- 
zens like  others,  with  a  religious  faith  that,  if  nothing  better, 
was  at  least  harmless.  The  Know-nothing  party  did  that  much 
for  Catholicity.  It  subdued  in  fair-minded  persons  hostility  ac- 
knowledged to  be  aimless,  and  suggested  thoughts  that  perhaps 
its  creed  had  not  been  made  up  of  follies  and  absurdities  as 
much  as  had  been  supposed.  People  of  the  South  wished  for 
Catholics,  like  themselves,  to  be  let  believe  what  they  pleased, 
and  not  be  molested  in  whatever  worship  they  had  a  mind  to 
pay  to  it. 

The  results  of  the  partial  investigations  made  in  that  notable 
campaign  by  politicians,  and  for  political  ends,  lead  to  the  belief 
that  what  the  Catholic  Church  needs  mostly  for  its  more  rapid 
spread  among  Protestants,  particularly  those  in  the  Southern  States, 
is  whatever  will  lead  most  surely  to  understanding  what  the 
Catholic  Church  is.  These  are  able  Catholic  priests  and  good 
Catholic  books.  Since  the  crusade  of  Know-nothingism,  and  since 
the  revolutions  wrought  by  the  war  between  the  States,  serious 
minds  in  the  South  have  been  put  in  a  condition  very  receptive 
of  truth  in  every  form  of  its  presentation.  By  the  outside  world 
always  they  have  been  misunderstood  ;  therefore  they  have  been 
misrepresented.  For  both  the  misunderstanding  and  the  misrep- 
resentation they  have  cared,  perhaps,  too  little.  Existence  in  the 
South  has  been  always  upon  a  plane  higher  than  it  was  believed 
and  represented  by  outsiders  to  be.  The  South,  feeling  itself  to 
be  both  misunderstood  and  misrepresented,  has  been  careless  in 
making  known  to  the  world  either  its  ideas  or  its  history. 
Blamed  (with  especial  acrimony  by  those  who  thrust  it  upon  it) 
for  an  institution  of  which  it  could  not,  without  inhumanity,  rid 
itself,  it  lived  until  the  Confederate  War  in  the  reserve  which 
seemed  becoming  its  comparatively  isolated  existence.  The  few 
Catholic  priests  who  have  lived  and  worked  there,  although  for 
the  most  part  foreign  born,  knew  well  these  things,  and  in  the 
time  of  trial  sympathized  with  the  troubles  incident. to  such  en- 
tire separation  from  the  rest  of  mankind.  Honorable,  true- 
hearted,  devout  men  that  they  were,  it  is  to  be  much  regretted 
that,  with  very  few  exceptions,  in  pulpit  eloquence  they  could 
not  rank  with  leading  Protestant  divines.  Indeed,  if  they  had 
been  equally  gifted  it  would  not  have  seemed  to  them  a  hopeful 
task  to  make  aggressions  upon  beliefs  which,  even  when  not  cor- 
dially accepted  by  all,  were    regarded    better   than    any    which   a 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  33 

place  so  far  away  as  Rome  had  to  offer.  People  in  that  region, 
feeling  indeed  that  they  were  better  than  those  who  maligned 
because  they  misunderstood  them,  wrapped  themselves  in  the 
pride  inevitable  to  such  a  situation,  and  rejected  what  was  foreign, 
whether  it  was  an  item  of  politics  or  one  of  religion.  They 
were  indifferent,  too  indifferent,  to  outside  opinions.  But  there 
was  never  a  time  when  a  Catholic  priest  could  not  preach  in  the 
South  without  molestation.  More  than  fifty  years  ago  the  posi- 
tion of  commencement  orator  at  the  University  of  Georgia  was 
occupied  by  Bishop  England,  when  outside  of  Savannah  and  Au 
gusta  there  were  not  a  dozen  educated  Catholics,  and  not  one 
among  the  trustees,  faculty,  and  friends  of  the  institution.  He 
was  invited  because  of  his  eminent  fitness.  The  oration  delivered 
by  him  on  the  occasion,  fortunately  included  in  his  published 
works,  is  one  of  the  very  best  of  its  kind.  What  might  have 
been  if  more  of  such  men  had  lived  in  that  region  only  Heaven 
knows. 

At  the  South  within  these  last  thirty  years  many  changes 
have  been  wrought  both  from  without  and  within.  Many  things 
which  isolated  it  from  the  rest  of  mankind  have  been  removed. 
Its  civil  polity,  which  was  no  more  unique  than  it  was  intent 
upon  fostering  whatever  was  just  and  honorable  and  humane  in 
its  existence,  has  been  overthrown  with  a  suddenness  in  some 
respects  appalling.  Now  there  is  no  hindrance  to  the  influx  of 
whatever  may  enter  and  settle  there.  In  this  revolution  things 
which  were  or  which  seemed  to  be  narrow  have  been  put  aside,  and 
broadenings  have  come  in,  the  scope  and  worth  of  whose  in- 
fluences only  the  Creator  foresees.  Among  other  changes  is  re- 
ligious infidelity,  not  defiant  and  aggressive,  but  taking  the  more 
modest  form  of  Agnosticism,  It  seeks  not,  as  elsewhere,  to  pro- 
selytize. Contrariwise,  it  extends  with  sincerity  congratulations 
to  those  who  can  be  content  with  lessons  learned  at  mother's 
knee.  Its  adherents  own  knees  have  ceased  to  be  bowed,  and 
their  minds  have  become  no  longer  painfully  concerned  by  what 
they  have  come  to  believe  vain — all  attempts  to  "find  out  God." 
Such  defalcation  of  religious  sentiment  is  due  in  part  to  the  con- 
tinued multiplication  of  new  Protestant  sects,  discordances  among 
some  not  yet  but  threatening  to  become  dissevered,  the  failures 
from  the  absence  of  recognized  authority  to  repress  teachings 
which  majorities  regard  heretical,  and  dissatisfaction  with  some 
dogmas  once  followed  with  confidence,  but  seeming  fit  to  be- 
come obsolete.  It  is  sad  that  so  many  among  Protestants,  as 
honest  and  unpretentious  as  any  in  this  whole  world,  lay  no 
3 


34  The  Afostolate  of  the  Press. 

claim  to  a  definite  religious  faith  of  any  sort,  and  believe,  yet 
with  some  misgiving,  in  immortality.  Faithfully  practising  what 
they  understand  to  be  the  duties  of  individuals  and  citizens, 
they  in  many  cases  count,  like  the  Romans  of  old,  upon  endless 
sleep  after  death,  or  a  new  life  in  which  will  be  no  unhappy  re- 
collections of  the  old.  In  the  South  are  thousands  in  whom  are 
placed  the  best  hopes  for  overcoming  disasters  wrought  upon 
political,  social,  and  domestic  conditions,  yet  who  either  attend 
no  public  religious  exercises  even  on  Sundays,  or  they  do  so  out 
of  respect  for  general  opinion,  or  in  accommodation  to  the  wishes 
of  their  own  families  and  friends.  Fortunate  it  is  that  among 
understandings  less  cultured  there  is  yet  an  abiding  faith  that 
Christ  is  God.  Fortunate  also  that  among  women  of  all  degrees 
seldom  the  doubts  that  beset  men  have  an  abiding  place.  They 
regret,  if  they  do  not  mourn,  changes  which  keep  so  many  of 
their  most  gifted  youth  from  seminaries,  as  the  oldest  among 
them  note  the  decline  in  pulpit  fervor  and  eloquence.  Their  con- 
cern is  less  that  those  who  are  dearest  may  forsake  one  for  other 
forms  of  faith,  than  that  they  will  come  to  believe  none.  Many 
of  them  of  both  sexes  listen,  now  no  longer  with  surprise  or 
pain,  to  what  Catholic  converts,  in  answer  to  their  questionings, 
have  to  say  about  a  faith  which  has  brought  so  many  ineffably 
sweet  consolations,  and  to  the  assurance  that  they  have  been  led 
out  of  aimless,  uncertain  wanderings,  and  put  under  guidance 
which,  by  the  promise  of  our  Lord,  will  continue  to  lead  them 
till  the  end  of  their  days. 

In  all  these  things  there  is  a  sign  to  be  read.  Therefore  it 
seems  to  this  writer  to  have  been  wise  and  prudent  in  those  who 
began  the  movement  of  the  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE  Press.  In  ex- 
isting conditions  books,  and  books  alone,  may  reach  far  among 
the  Protestants  of  the  South.  Preaching  of  Catholic  doctrines, 
to  be  eminently  effective,  must  come  from  priests  who,  like  other 
preachers,  were  born  and  reared  therein,  sons  of  those  who  were 
and  who  are  not  ashamed  but  proud  of  the  antecedents  in  the 
South's  history,  priests  who  will  understand  not  only  the  evident 
places  of  attack  but  those  which,  appearing  to  be  strong,  are. 
weak,  which  would  be  strengthened  at  the  signs  of  violent  assault, 
but  which,  approached  by  strategy  consisting  mainly  of  sympa- 
thy and  delicacy,  could  be  overcome.  In  the  South  there  is 
much  need  of  good  Catholic  literature.  Dwellers  therein  were, 
in  the  foretime,  more  an  acting  than  a  writing  or  a  reading 
people.  Revolution  has  changed  all  this.  For  the  first  time, 
while  they  continue  striving  to  exert  all  their  powers  in    crippled 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  35 

conditions,  they  have  come  forth  out  of  much  of  their  own  and 
inherited  experience  and  been  thrown  face-to-face  with  the 
world.  Loving  its  history  with  a  love  that  never  can  be  lessened, 
the  South  looks  out  for  whatever  importation  is  suited  to  changed 
aspirations  and  endeavors.  Ideas,  whether  presented  by  publicists 
or  politicians,  by  teachers  of  political  economy  or  religious  dog- 
mas different  from  those  in  which  they  were  reared,  the  Southern 
people  are  in  the  frame  to  consider  with  calmness  and  without 
prejudice.  About  the  Catholic  Church  as  yet  they  know  little. 
It  is  wonderful  how  many  intelligent  Protestants  do  not  compre- 
hend what  is  meant  by  the  dogmas  of  Papal  Infallibility  2,x\6i  the 
Ininiaailate  Conception.  Converts  are  sometimes  asked  by  most 
gifted  persons  what  is  meant  by  the  Mass.  Many  believe  that 
women  as  well  as  men  make  up  the  Society  of  fesiis.  Yet  the 
old-time  horror  for  Catholic  dogmas  is  fast  passing  away.  Re- 
cent proofs,  often  accompanied  by  admissions  of  falseness  in  much 
of  anti-Catholic  historical  writing,  have  caused  in  many,  very 
many,  earnest  minds  hostility  to  give  way  to  friendly  inquiry, 
sometimes  to  profound  anxiety.  None  have  doubts  now  that  a 
Catholic  may  be  as  much  a  patriot  and  a  gentleman  as  other 
people.  Thousands  and  thousands  not  only  say  prayers  for  the 
souls  of  their  dead,  but  are  thankful  when  their  Catholic  friends 
and  sympathizers  do  likewise. 

In  all  these  turnings  away  from  old  ideas  there  is  a  sign  jof 
existing  receptivity  to  Catholic  truth.  This  will  be  quickened 
much  by  the  means  about  to  be  adopted  by  the  APOSTOLATE 
OF  THE  Press. 


36  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

THE  MISSIONARY  OUTLOOK  IN  NEW  ENGLAND. 

EY  GEORGE  PARSONS  LATHROP,  OF  NEW  LONDON,  CONN. 

It  has  been  said  that  CathoHcs  and  Protestants  Hve  in  two 
different  worlds  ;  and  this,  as  you  all  know,  is  in  some  senses 
true. 

The  world  of  clear,  coherent  faith  ;  of  serene  insight  into  the 
supernatural  and  the  divine ;  and  the  world  of  mere  opinion,  of 
individual  private  judgment  which  leads  always  to  difference  and 
indifference,  which  professes  to  divorce  belief  from  reason,  and 
ends  too  often  in  helpless,  naked  rationalism — these  two  worlds 
of  men  certainly  cannot  be  one  and  the  same.  Yet  this  fact 
does  not  necessarily  prevent  us,  who  dwell  in  humble  but  direct 
communion  with  him  who  is  called  "  Wonderful,"  "  God,"  "  The 
Prince  of  Peace,"  from  coming  directly  into  relation  with  those 
— our  neighbors,  acquaintance,  and  friends^ — who  dwell  just  over 
the  border,  in  that  dazzling  but  somewhat  befogged  region  which 
may  be  termed  the  Debatable  Land,  or  the  Land  of  Endless 
Debate. 

In  fact,  we  do  meet  and  converse  with  them  every  day.  We 
trade  and  fraternize  with  them,  and  love  them.  We  can  under- 
stand perfectly  all  that  they  tliink  and  feel.  But  they  cannot 
understand  us.  There's  the  pity  !  And  there,  too,  is  the  .prob- 
lem. How  shall  we  lead  them  to  understand  us  and  the  simple 
yet  sublime  truth  to  which  we  are  loyal  ? 

At  this  mere  question,  as  though  by  a  word  of  'magic  incan- 
tation, the  barriers  between  the  two  worlds  of  thought  arise  and 
interpose  themselves  like  a  solid  wall.  The  wall,  however,  is 
only  one  of  mist.  It  can  be  penetrated.  I  have  been  a  Protes- 
tant ;  and  now,  happily  for  me,  I  am  a  Catholic ;  that  is,  a 
Christian  in  the  true,  uncompromising  faith  of  Christ.  Therefore 
I  know  something  about  the  two  worlds,  and  a  good  deal  about 
the  barriers  between  them. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  most  practical  thing  I  can  do  is  to 
give  you  very  simply,  in  the  light  of  my  own  observation,  a  few 
instances  of  the  way  in  which  the  non-Catholics  of  New  England 
regard  Catholicity  and  its  adherents. 

In  the  first  place,  they  are  brought  up  with  an  indescribable 
dread    of    it,  which    they  imbibe    in  childhood,  with  their  earliest 


The  Aposiolate  of  the  Press.  37 

associations,  and  before  they  are  even  conscious  that  it  is  being 
instilled  into  them.  This  indescribable  dread — when  you  come  to 
inquire  and  try  to  analyze  it — turns  out  to  be  also  indefinable. 
It  is  like  the  hobgoblin  of  the  nursery.  Every  one  of  the  scared 
nurslings  is  confident  that  the  hobgoblin  exists,  and  would  like  to 
hurt  them  if  he  could ;  but  no  one  of  them  can  explain  just 
zohat  he  is,  or  ivhy  he  should  wish  them  harm.  The  terror  of 
these  people  has  no  logical  beginning  that  even  the  most  patient 
search  can  trace ;  and  it  always,  when  investigated,  falls  back 
upon  an  absolute  defiance  of  logic. 

For  example,  I  have  a  Congregational  friend  with  whom  for 
years  I  had  discussed  every  topic  that  came  into  our  ken,  ex- 
haustively and  with  the  freest  comparison  of  views ;  not  at  all 
in  the  manner  of  dispute,  but  simply  for  the  profit  of  candid  in- 
tellectual interchange.  We  had  often  spoken  of  religion,  and 
many  times  alluded  to  the  Catholic  Church,  On  this  last  subject 
he  appeared  to  have  prejudices  which  I  did  not  share ;  and  I 
frequently  told  him  so,  giving  him  my  reasons,  although  I  did 
not  then  dream  that  I  should  ever  become  a  Catholic.  When  at 
last  I  was  received  into  the  church,  it  was  natural  to  suppose 
that  he  would  be  the  first  and  the  most  eager  to  obtain  my 
views  on  this  as  on  all  other  matters ;  and  I  told  him  I  would 
gladly  answer  any  questions  that  might  occur  to  him.  But,  on 
this  one  topic,  he  promptly  said  :  "  No,  we  had  better  agree  to 
disagree.  If  I  thought  as  you  do,  I  should  be  where  you  are; 
and  if  you  thought  as  I  do,  you  would  be  where  I  am."  The 
utter  platitude  and  vacancy  of  that  reply  almost*  paralyzed  me. 
"  But,"  I  said,  "  I  know  you  have  certain  ideas  about  the  Catho- 
lic Church,  which  I  never  thought  were  correct,  and  now  that  I 
am  in  the  church  I  can  show  you  and  assure  you  that  they 
were  entirely  wrong."  He  answered  :  "  Oh  !  those  who  are  inside 
the  church  don't  always  know  about  it.  Several  converts  in  Eng- 
land have  just  left  the  Catholic  Church."  His  inference,  of  course, 
was  that,  since  they  had  abandoned  it,  tJiey  were  the  ones  who 
really  understood  and  knew  all  about  it.  But,  since  they  had 
been  inside  ;  and  since  he  held  that  those  inside  could  not  know 
the  truth  concerning  the  church — how  did  it  happen  that  these 
particular  apostates  thoroughly  knew  the  church,  and  were  to  be 
trusted,  while  I,  as  a  faithful  convert,  could  not  know  what  I 
was  talking  about  ? 

If  I  had  retorted  upon  him  with  his  own  style  of  argument, 
I  would  have  said  this  :  "  You  declare  that  members  of  a  re- 
ligious organization — for    example,  the    Catholic    Church — do   not 


38  Tim  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

really  know  what  that  organization  is,  what  it  means,  and  what 
it  aims  at.  You  are  a  member  of  a  religious  organization  called 
the  Congregational  Church :  therefore  you  do  not  necessarily 
know  what  it  means.  You  assume  that  those  who  secede  from 
the  Catholic  Church  are  the  only  Catholics  who  understand  that 
church.  Therefore  you,  who  are  now  a  Congregationalist,  do  not 
understand  your  own  church  ;  but,  if  you  seceded  from  it, 
you  would  then  understand  it.  Hence,  no  one  understands  any 
church,  unless  he  is  outside  of  it." 

He  would  have  been  convicted  by  his  own  absurdity.  Yet  it 
is  just  this  sort  of  absurdity  that  we  have  to  encounter.  To  this 
same  friend  I  remarked,  later  on,  that  he  had  conspicuously 
avoided  talking  with  me  about  my  faith.  He  replied  :  "  Oh ! 
you  may  speak  freely  about  it."  I  answered  :  "  Very  well.  But 
it  isn't  likely  that  I  am  going  to  sit  down  and  expound  it  all  to 
you  without  inquiry  from  you.  You  have  always  wanted  to 
know  what  I  thought  about  every  other  thing.  But  on  this  you 
seem  wholly  indifferent."  And  then  he  said  :  "  Oh,  I  never 
want  to  talk  with  a  man  after  he  has  made  up  his  mind  !  " 

So,  then,  the  conclusion  would  be  that  there  is  no  use  in  an 
interchange  of  views  when  a  man  has  any  settled  and  definite 
views  to  express.  According  to  this,  the  Protestant  ideal  would 
be  a  state  of  perpetual  indecision ;  a  state  that  might  be  de- 
scribed as  general  mindlessness,  or  Universal  Absence  of  Mind, 

And  yet  this  friend  is  a  very  bright  man  in  all  other  ways ; 
a  man  in  active  business,  who  is  also  an  author.  If  I  were  a 
Buddhist,  or  a  Mahometan,  or  a  Mormon,  he  would  be  intensely 
desirous  to  hear  what  I  might  say  in  explanation  of  my  tenets. 
As  I  am  only  a  Catholic  Christian,  he  throws  reason  and  logic 
to  the  winds,  in  his  anxiety  to  escape  the  possibility  of  talking 
with  me  about  my  faith ;  although  he  is  still  perfectly  ready 
to  converse  on  any  other  subject  under  heaven,  without  let  or 
hindrance. 

In  this  case,  though,  as  in  many  others,  I  recognize  a  tacit 
admission  of  the  intense,  overwhelming  power  of  Christ's  teaching 
as  embodied  and  presented  by  his  holy  Catholic  Church  to-day. 
The  general  Protestant  fear  of  the  church  is  inherited  and  tradi- 
tional, based  on  long-continued  misrepresentation  and  prejudice. 
But  in  the  individual  Protestant  or  non-Catholic  that  fear  is 
especially  the  dread  of  a  vast  idea,  an  infinite  truth  which — if  they 
permit  themselves  to  look  into  it — may  engulf  them  in  its  im- 
mensity. They  recoil  at  the  mere  chance  of  surrendering  their 
small  individuality  to  this  immensity  of  the  eternal. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  39 

It  seems  to  be  as  hard  for  them  to  acknowledge,  sincerely 
and  thoroughly  in  their  hearts,  their  exact  relation  to  it,  as  it 
would  be  for  them  to  jump  off  from  the  edge  of  the  earth. 
There  is  a  mental  attraction  of  gravitation  which  holds  them 
down.  Yet  in  recognizing  the  vast  truths  of  astronomy  they  sur- 
render themselves  willingly  to  the  infinite  of  space.  They  admit 
that  the  whole  solar  system  is  visibly  progressing  through  space 
towards  some  goal  that  no  one  is  able  to  sight  by  the  human 
eye,  or  by  the  telescope,  or  by  private  judgment.  All  this,  they 
concede,  is  going  on  according  to  one  great  principle,  one  fixed 
order  of  logic  and  law.  Yet  when  it  comes  to  consideration  of 
the  moral  and  spiritual  infinite,  which  also  moves  toward  a  great 
unseen  goal,  they  cannot  bring  themselves  to  admit  the  same 
fixity  of  law  and  supremacy  in  one  all-embracing  truth  of  re- 
ligion. In  this  department — or  rather,  in  this  aspect — of  the  uni- 
verse, they  would  persuade  themselves,  the  truth — i.e.,  the  princi- 
ple of  things — need  no  longer  be  single  and  unvarying,  but  may 
be  several  and  changeable  according  as  it  is  interpreted  by  dif- 
ferent men  and  groups.  It  is  this  inconsistency  of  theirs  that  we 
must  first  gently  m.ake  plain  to  them,  before  they  can  compre- 
hend us  or  grasp  Catholic  verity.  Meanwhile  it  will  continue 
one  of  the  m.ost  perplexing  among  barriers,  because  by  its  very 
nature  it  obliges  them  to  shift  ground  constantly,  and  try  to  es- 
cape from  logic  by  a  variety  of  excuses  or  side-issues.  Neverthe- 
less, the  non-Catholic  dread  is,  at  bottom,  an  admission  that  Holy 
Church  is  the  earthly  representation  or  portal  of  the  Divine  infinite. 

It  has  also  happened  to  Mrs.  Lathrop  and  myself  that  Pro- 
testant  friends,  and  even  simple  acquaintances,  who  never  broached 
the  subject  before,  have  written  to  us — since  we  became  Catho- 
lics— asking  us  to  pray  for  their  dead  ;  their  departed  kindred. 
Of  course  they  would  not  dream  of  petitioning  for  such  prayers 
in  their  own  churches  and  denominations.  Others  have  sent  to 
ask  our  prayers  for  some  member  of  a  family  undergoing  illness 
or  surgical  operations  involving  great  danger.  In  all  the  years 
that  we  w^ere  outside  of  the  church  they  never  made  such  a  re- 
quest, although  they  were  as  sure  of  our  friendship  then  as 
they  are  now. 

This  is  another  and  touching  evidence  of  the  fact  that  Pro- 
testants feel,  if  they  do  not  perceive,  some  peculiar  virtue  in 
the  Catholic  Church.  They  turn  to  it  instinctively,  in  these 
cases,  as  meeting  the  needs  of  the  heart  and  soul  with  a  su- 
preme efficacy  not  found  in  their  own  organizations ;  a  power 
that  they  may  oppose,  yet  inwardly  realize. 


40  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

A  Presbyterian  teacher  of  high  standing,  intellectual,  accom- 
plished, and  of  considerable  renown,  said  to  me  heartily  that,  in 
becoming  a  Catholic,  I  had  taken  the  noblest  and  truest  attitude 
a  man  could  take,  and  that  he  wished  he  could  do  the  same.  A 
friend  who  has  suffered  much  told  me  that  he  often  went  into 
the  Catholic  Church — as  it  was  open  every  day  in  the  week — and 
simply  sat  there  meditating.  He  knew  nothing  of  Catholic  prayers 
and  could  not  pray ;  but  he  always  came  out  feeling  purer,  bet- 
ter, and  stronger.  A  lady  of  Puritan  descent  wrote  to  us  that 
the  Catholic  Church  was  the  only  one  she  could  ever  join  ;  yet 
that,  if  she  ever  found  herself  inclining  that  way,  she  would  in- 
stantly buy  and  read  all  the  books  against  the  Catholic  Church 
that  she  could  obtain.  This  was  another  form  of  tribute  to  the 
strength  of  Catholicity.  So,  too,  was  that  of  a  most  distinguished 
scientific  man  who  said  to  me  that  for  a  year  in  his  yowth  he 
had  gone  to  early  Mass  every  day,  without  ever  inquiring  or 
learning  anything  about  the  service  and  sacrifice,  but  simply 
because  it  made  him  feel  "good."  He  now — still  omitting  to  in- 
quire— scoffs  mildly  at  the  church  ;  but,  with  a  large  experience 
of  Protestant  denominations  and  pastors,  he  says  :  "  I  have  known 
lots  of  Catholic  priests,  and  they  are  the  best  men  I  ever  knew." 

If  we  look  for  negative  or  passive  tributes,  what  better  could 
we  ask  than  these  ? 

They  show  that  the  New  England  mind,  the  Yankee  mind, 
is  in  search  of  a  religious  truth  which  it  has  not  yet  found.  It 
gropes ;  it  dimly  guesses  at  a  revelation  from  God,  present  in 
the  world  to-day,  which  it  has  not  been  able  to  lay  hold  of  in 
evangelical  bodies.  The  New  England  mind  is  ripe  for  the  di- 
vine truth  set  forth  by  the  true  church ;  yet  it  is  clouded  by 
mists  of  prejudice,  indifference,  and  careless  custom. 

Now,  the  parish  priest  cannot  possibly,  with  his  multifarious 
duties,  go  forth  and  attend  to  the  needs  of  non-Catholics.  Of 
course  the  church  building  is  open  to  them  as  to  all.  They  may 
come  there  and  try  to  learn  and  try  to  worship.  But,  while  the 
temple  is  crowded  with  the  faithful,  the  others  come  rarely  or 
by  accident,  and  do  not  even  understand  the  simple,  holy  rite 
when  they  do  come. 

I  would  suggest  that  in  every  parish  there  should  be  a 
small,  efficient  organization  of  laymen,  who  could  take  charge 
of  the  business  of  explaining  Catholicity  whenever  it  is  publicly 
misinterpreted.  A  local  Truth  Society  would  fill  the  bill ;  and 
in  our  parish  we  have  begun  to  talk  of  forming  one,  or  a  Co- 
lumbian Reading  Circle,  or  both.     Now,  the   main  practical  diffi- 


The  ArosTOLATE  of  the  Pj^ess.  41 

culties  jof  non-Catholics,  even  when  they  are  convinced  of  our 
consistency  and  that  our  logic  is  impregnable,  seem  to  be  these 
two  bugbears  :  That  the  church  wishes  to  overthrow  or  unfairly 
capture  the  public  schools,  and  that  it  seeks  to  subvert  Ameri- 
can institutions. 

Millions  of  Catholics  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  public 
schools  under  an  un-American  system  of  taxation  almost  with- 
out representation,  since  they  are  so  little  represented  on  the 
school  boards,  and  still  show  their  sincerity  by  voluntarily  main- 
taining schools  of  their  own,  besides.  Catholics  were  the  first 
settlers  in  this  country,  the  bringers  of  civilization.  They  were 
loyal  to  the  American  Revolution  when  many,  and  perhaps 
most,  Episcopalians  and  Methodists  were  on  the  Tory  side. 
Many  scores  of  thousands  of  Catholics  have  laid  down  their  lives 
in  war  for  the  upholding  of  American  institutions  and  liberty. 
Catholics  are  absolutely  loyal  to  the  Constitution,  laws,  govern- 
ment, and  spirit  of  this  Republic  to-day,  and  they  prove  it  in 
every  way  that  it  is  possible  to  offer  proof,  by  act  and  conduct. 
Yet  all  this  seems  to  count  for  nothing  when  the  prejudices 
above  mentioned  come  into  play.  If  so  brilliant  a  man  as 
Gladstone  in  England  could  so  misapprehend  the  Vatican  de- 
crees as  to  imagine  they  might  sap  the  loyalty  of  Englishmen, 
what  are  we  to  expect  from  the  ignorant  here  ?  It  will  not  do 
to  dismiss  them  by  saying  that  they  are  too  dense  to  be  en- 
lightened. We  must  find  a  way  to  reach  them,  and  to  make 
them  see  and  know  us  as  we  actually  are.  Am  I,  whose  ardent 
and  steady  patriotism  no  one  doubted  before  ;  whose  family,  of 
Puritan  origin,  has  produced  a  line  of  evangelical  ministers  and 
has  been  solidly  American  for  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight  years 
— am  I  at  once  transformed  into  a  disloyal  citizen  when  I  be- 
come a  Catholic?  An  eminent  man  said  to  me:  "You  have 
turned  your  back  on  your  own  countrymen."  I  replied  :  "  No, 
sir.  I  am  now  the  best  kind  of  American  there  is."  And  with 
entire  modesty — for  the  merit  is  not  mine — I  believe  this  to  be 
true. 

For  what  can  make  a  man  so  good  a  citizen  as  the  religion 
which  teaches  him  the  oneness  of  truth,  fidelity  to  God,  to  his 
country,  to  marriage,  to  conscience,  and  applies  itself  directly 
every  day  to  strengthening  those  forces  which  conserve  or 
purify  society  and  exalt  the  soul  ? 

It  is  this  that  we  must  bring  home  to  their  minds. 

And,  while  the  circulation  of  books  and  documents  is  of  im- 
mense use,  there  are    other   means    of   reaching    those    who    will 


42  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

not  read.  Not  long  ago  there  came  to  New  London  one  of 
those  scamps  who  make  a  living  by  sensational  lectures  malign- 
ing all  that  is  most  sacred  to  Catholics.  People  who,  all  the 
year  round,  would  never  come  near  us  to  ask  for  a  plain,  can- 
did, intelligent  explanation  of  Catholic  faith  and  practice,  flock- 
ed to  hear  this  deliberate  falsifier.  Such  a  lecture  delivered 
ao-ainst  any  other  religious  body  would  have  caused  a  riot,  and 
the  riot  would  have  been  generally  excused  by  the  nature  of 
the  insult  offered.  As  it  was,  we  were  all  indignant  and  talked 
of  letters  to  the  daily  papers — both  of  which  in  New  London 
are  owned  or  edited  by  Catholics — and  of  a  public  meeting.  But 
we  feared  possible  disturbance  or  futile  bitterness,  and  so  we 
remained  silent.  Now,  a  local  committee  of  the  sort  suggested 
could  have  held  that  meeting ;  with  calm,  well-considered 
speeches  ;  could  have  got  the  general  public  there  ;  had  the  thing 
fully  reported,  and  so,  without  hurting  any  one,  could  have  ad- 
ministered a  crushingly  gentle  rebuke  and  let  loose  a  great  deal 
of  life-giving  truth. 

Still  another  point.  Secular  and  national  holidays  belong 
just  as  much  to  us  as  they  do  to  all  other  Americans.  Why 
should  not  local  committees  of  Catholic  laymen  call  public  meet- 
ings to  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July,  Thanksgiving  Day,  and 
other  fitting  occasions,  when  their  patriotism  would  be  made 
apparent  along  with  the  high,  religious  spirit  that  animates  it } 

I  would  have  lay  Catholics  take  the  initiative  in  celebrating 
the  New  England  Forefathers'  Day  in  such  manner  as  to  pay 
tribute  to  the  great  merits  of  the  Massachusetts  Pilgrims,  and  at 
the  same  time  bring  out  the  immense  service  of  other  settlers 
of  the  United  States,  notably  the  Catholic  founders  of  Mary- 
land, who  established  there  the  complete  sway  of  religious  tole- 
ration, while  the  founders  of  Massachusetts  based  theirJState  on 
intolerance.  All  this  could  be  done  in  a  friendly  way,  and  would 
be  very  instructive. 

It  would  have  been  a  great  thing  if  Catholic  laymen  all  over 
the  country  had  seized  the  1891  anniversary  of  Columbus's  land- 
ing as  a  time  for  general  celebration,  and  had  emphasized  the 
fact  that  the  discoverer  of  America  planted  the  holy  cross  here 
one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  years  before  the  Pilgrims  set  foot 
on  Plymouth  Rock. 

The  secular  daily  press  would  be  a  powerful  agency  for  the 
correction  of  misstatements,  for  the  popular  newspaper  reaches 
the  eyes  of  many  who  would  never  consent  to  examine  a  Catho- 
lic   book    or   journal.      But,    while    there    are    great    numbers    of 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  43 

Catholics  employed  on  the  daily  papers,  they  are  not  their  own 
masters.  Under  hostile  editors  they  do  not  enjoy  the  reputed 
American  privilege  of  free  speech.  Everything  they  write  is 
carefully  examined,  sifted,  and  cut  down  where  there  is  the 
slightest  chance  that  they  may  be  saying  anything  which  will 
make  the  Catholic  position  clear  and  place  Catholicity  in  a  fair, 
impartial  light.  In  many  newspaper  of^ces  it  seems  to  be  a 
maxim  that  a  man  who  believes  nothing  is  a  perfectly  safe  per- 
son to  entrust  with  Catholic  matters.  It  is  also  held  to  be  a 
merit  in  any  Protestant  writer  on  the  staff  to  do  what  he  can 
towards  reporting  and  presenting  Protestantism  favorably  ;  but 
for  a  Catholic  to  put  his  convictions  into  what  he  writes  for  the 
daily  columns,  or  to  shed  light  upon  the  truth  of  his  religion,  is 
treated  as  something  in  the  nature  of  a  conspiracy. 

The  chief  organized  w^ay  in  which  you  can  use  the  secular 
press  now,  is  for  local  committees  to  prepare  short  letters  to  the 
editor  in  due  emergencies,  and,  when  such  letters  are  not  ac- 
cepted, pay  for  them  at  advertising  rates.  Many  editors  will 
gladly  publish  them  free. 

Meantime,  why  should  not  this  Convention  go  at  the  press  in 
the  same  way  that  other  people  do  ?  The  first  and  best  thing 
would  be  for  us  here  assembled  to  issue  a  short  and  simple  ad- 
dress to  the  press  and  public  of  the  United  States,  asking  them 
for  their  attention  and  fair  play.  The  American  people  are 
honest  and  open-minded,  and  when  once  they  realize  that  a 
large  number  of  their  fellow-citizens  are  asking  to  be  properly 
heard  and  understood  in  this  matter,  they  will  not  only  hsten, 
but  will  insist  upon  hearing   more. 

I  know  of  one  daily  prayer  that  has  gone  up  for  months 
past,  that  the  mass  of  the  American  people  should  be  led  into 
the  one  fold  of  the  one  Shepherd,  the  true  Church.  The  call  for 
this  Convention  (of  which  I  had  previously  heard  nothing)  came 
like  the  beginning  of  the  answer  to  that  prayer.  Why  do  I 
pray  that  the  American  people  should  become  Catholics  ?  Be- 
cause it  is  their  natural  destiny.  The  best  people  on  earth 
ought  to  be  loyal  believers  in  the  best  religion.  Catholic  faith, 
in  my  opinion,  is  the  only  force  that  can  save  our  national 
character  and  national  greatness,  already  threatened  by  many 
dangerous  elements  and  tendencies,  from  the  peril  of  disinte- 
gration. 

I,  too,  believe  that  the  next  century  will  see  a  tidal  wave  of 
conversion  sweeping  the  majority  of  our  countrymen  into  the 
Holy  Cathohc  Church.     At  this  Epiphany  season   how  shine  the 


44  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

words  of  Isaias :  "Arise,  be  enlightened,  O  Jerusalem,  for  thy 
Light  is  come  "  !  Those  words  the  prophet  uttered  seven  hun- 
dred years  before  the  incarnation  of  Christ,  yet  he  saw  the  event 
so  clearly  that  he  spoke  of  it  as  already  present.  We  American 
Catholics  of  to-day  do  not  need  a  tithe  of  his  prophetic  power 
to  declare  to  our  countrymen  that  their  Light  is  come  and  will 
presently  bathe  the  land   in  splendor. 


HOW  TO  DEAL  WITH  AGNOSTICS. 

BY   MERWIN    M.    SNELL,    OF   THE   CATHOLIC    UNIVERSITY   OF 
AMERICA,   WASHINGTON,    D.    C. 

In  order  to  consider  intelligently  the  question  of  "  How  to  Deal 
with  Agnostics,"  it  is  first  necessary  to  understand  clearly  what  an 
Agnostic  is.  The  term  is  an  elastic  one,  and  may  be  variously 
applied.  It  is  taken  from  the  Greek,  in  which  it  has  the  form 
agnostos,  and  signifies    "  unknowing,  unknown,    unknowable." 

Those  who  are  outside  the  one,  true,  and  universal  religion 
are  divided  into  three  camps :  those  who  accept  genuine  divine 
revelation,  imperfectly  comprehended  ;  those  who  pin  their  faith 
to  false  revelations,  and  those  who  deny  revelation  altogether. 
Those  who  repudiate  divine  revelation  either  believe  it  possible 
for  man  to  know  without  its  aid  all  the  mysteries  of  religion, 
and  may  be  called  false  Gnostics  ;  or  they  believe  that  little  or 
nothing  can  be  known  of  religious  truth,  in  which  case  they 
may  be  grouped  roughly  as  Agnostics.  Their  Agnosticism  may  be 
confined  to  religion  or  it  may  extend  to  all  natural  knowledge 
as  well.  In  the  latter  case  it  is  termed  scepticism.  Religious 
Agnosticism  takes  two  forms,  a  positive  and  a  negative.  The 
positive  Agnosticism  asserts  that  the  reason  we  can  know  nothing 
of  God  or  religion  is  because  there  is  nothing  to  be  known  ; 
this  is  materialism  or  atheism.  The  merely  negative  variety 
contents  itself  with  disclaiming  for  the  race  all  religious  know- 
ledge. But  even  negative  Agnosticism  embraces  several  schools 
of  thought.  It  properly  includes  mildly  theistic  systems,  such  as 
Deism,  and  several  non-theistic  systems,  among  which  are  Posi- 
tivism and  Agnosticism  proper.  It  is  the  last-named  sect  which 
is  popularly    known  as  Agnostic. 

The    name    was    coined    by    Professor    Huxley,    but    the    chief 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  45 

exponent  of  the  system  is  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer.  Considered  as 
a  religious  sect,  this  form  of  Agnosticism  is  the  cultus  of  the 
Unknowable ;  gonsidered  as  a  philosophy,  it  is  the  substitution 
of  scientific  generalization  for  the  processes  of  metaphysics.  It 
tells  us  that  we  are  surrounded  on  every  hand  by  a  region  of 
impenetrable  mystery,  before  which  we  do  well  to  bow  in  pro- 
foundest  reverence,  but  in  which  the  enlightened  reason  can  dis- 
cover no  object  of  devotion  other  than  Obscurity  itself.  The 
ultimate  Cause,  the  essential  natures  of  things,  and  all  immaterial 
orders  of  existence,  if  such  exist,  belong  to  the  kingdom  of  the 
for  ever  unknowable.  One  branch  of  the  school,  of  which  Mr. 
G.  J.  Romanes  is  a  leading  representative,  disclaims  the  position 
that  essences  and  first  causes  are  for  ever  unknowable,  con- 
tenting itself  with  the  assertion  that  they  are  thus  far  un- 
known. 

It  is  clear  that  in  the  topic  assigned  to  me  no  reference  was 
intended  to  the  manner  of  treating  Agnostics  in  the  walks  of 
daily  life  ;  for  I  take  it  for  granted  that  our  relations  with  our 
fellow-men  are  to  be  characterized  by  a  uniform  courtesy  and 
kindliness,  without  distinction  of  persons.  It  is  recognized  also 
as  imprudent  for  Catholics  to  enter  into  controversy  with  non- 
Catholics  unless  they  have  the  proper  equipment  for  the  contest. 
The  question  which  concerns  us  now  I  understand  to  be  this: 
"  What  attitude  shall  Catholic  scholars  take  towards  Agnosticism 
in  their  efforts  to  defend  and  propagate  our  Holy  Faith  through 
the  instrumentalities  of  the  Press  and  the  platform  ?  "  Truth  may 
be  diffused  either  by  instruction  or  by  controversy,  and  should  be 
by  both  of  these  means.  With  instruction,  in  the  sense  of  a 
simple  presentation  of  the  truths  of  faith,  this  paper  has  nothing 
to  do  ;  for  I  classify  under  the  head  of  controversy  all  writing 
which  is  directed  against  any  particular  kind  of  error,  whether 
or  not  controversial  in  its  form ;  and  religious  instruction,  as 
such,  is,  after  all,  hardly  the  function  of  laymen. 

There  are  two  widely  different  polemic  methods,  both  of 
which  have  their  time  and  place,  but  which  commend  themselves 
particularly  to  very  different  classes  of  minds.  Father  Hecker 
(Catholic  World,  April,  1887,  "  Dr.  Brownson  and  Bishop  Fitz- 
patrick ")  once  referred  to  the  two  types,  one  the  embodiment  of 
a  purpose  to  refute  error,  and  to  refute  it  by  condemnation 
direct,  authoritative  even  if  argumentative  ;  the  other  type  of  man 
would  seek  for  truth  amidst  the  error,  establish  its  existence,  ap- 
plaud it,  and  endeavor  to  make  it  a  basis  for  further  truth,  and 
a    fulcrum  for   the    overthrow    of    the    error    connected    with    it." 


46  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

One  of  these  methods  is  the  constructive,  and  consists  essen- 
tially in  selecting  as  premises  those  truths  which  the  system  to 
be  combated  contains,  and  leading  from  these  to  the  other  truths 
of  which  its  errors  are  the  negation.  In  the  second,  or  destruc- 
tive, method  the  errors  or  negations  of  the  false  system  are  taken 
as  premises,  and  their  logical  consequences  are  shown  to  be  too 
monstrous  to  be  entertained;  which  is  true  of  the  ultimate  outcome 
of  all  false  premises  in  philosophy  and  religion.  These  methods 
must  be  selected  and  used  alone  or  conjointly,  according  to  the 
circumstances  surrounding  each  particular  case.  As  a  general 
rule,  the  constructive  method  will  be  found  most  efTficacious  with 
those  in  whose  creeds  the  positive  and  veracious  elements  pre- 
ponderate ;  and  the  destructive  with  the  adherents  of  systems  in 
which  the  advantage  is  on  the  side  of  the  negative  and  menda- 
cious elements. 

It  remains  for  me  to  indicate  how  these  two  methods  may 
be  effectively  applied  in  our  controversy  with  Agnosticism.  The 
fundamental  truth  of  Agnosticism  is  the  inadequacy  of  man's 
natural  lights.  It  should  be  the  aim  of  the  constructive  apol- 
ogist to  show  that  it  is  necessary  for  man's  most  sacred  interests 
to  know  the  very  things  which  the  Agnostic  claims  to  be  un- 
knowable ;  and  that,  in  fact,  a  revelation  of  them  has  been  made. 
In  Agnostic  phraseology,  the  Unknowable  has  made  a 
revelation  of  itself  to  man.  The  Agnostic  may  show  that  the 
truths  which  Holy  Church  proclaims  to  the  world  are  undis- 
coverable  by  the  processes  of  science  or  even  of  philosophy ;  but 
he  can  be  safely  challenged  to  prove  that  they  are  false  or  that 
they  are  essentially  unknowable.  In  order  to  assert  the  essen- 
tial unknowability  of  anything,  he  must  know  its  essential  nature; 
but  this  is  the  very  knowledge  which  he  expressly  disclaims.  It 
is  true,  as  he  alleges,  that  supernatural  truths  are  naturally  un- 
knowable ;  it  is  also  true,  as  Catholic  theologians  agree,  that  a 
revelation  is  morally  necessary  even  for  the  knowledge  of  natural 
religious  truths ;  but  it  can  be  proven  that  a  supernatural  order 
exists,  and  that  a  revelation  of  both  the  natural  and  super- 
natural truths  of  religion  has  been  made,  a  revelation  of  which  the 
teaching  church  is  the  minister. 

Among  the  many  arguments  for  revelation,  I  would  call 
your  attention  to  two  specially  efficient  ones,  one  a  priori  and  the 
other  a  posteriori.  One  demonstrates  that  it  must  be,  the  other 
indicates  that  it  is.  An  analysis  of  the  grounds  of  certitude 
shows  that  in  the  last  resort  we  must  depend  upon  the  intrinsic 
veracity  of  our  own  natures.   .  If    our  nature  is  not  veracious,  we 


The  ArosTOLATE  of  the  Press.  47 

have  no  ground  for  accepting  even  self-evident  truths  ;  but  if  it 
is,  we  cannot  admit  for  a  moment  that  there  are  in  the  human 
breast  'any  impulses  or  tendencies  which  do  not  point  towards 
some  objective  reality  in  which  they  find  their  true  goal  and 
fulfilment.  The,  moral  sense  is  meaningless  if  there  be  no  im- 
perative norm  of  duty  ;  the  spiritual  sense  is  meaningless  if  there 
be  no  object  and  means  of  true  worship.  The  illative  sense  and 
the  aesthetic  sense  reach  out,  likewise,  towards  a  truth  and  beauty 
far  higher  than  is  to  be  found  within  the  realm  which  the 
Agnostics  concede  to  be  knowable.  The  moral,  illative,  and 
aesthetic  senses  are  the  powers  by  which  the  soul  appreciates 
goodness,  and  truth,  and  beauty  ;  and  the  spiritual  sense  is  its 
expansive  impulse  towards  the  supreme  and  Archetypal  Good- 
ness, Truth,  and  Beauty  of  Deity. 

If  the  Deity  is  unknowable,  or  is  knowable  only  as  the  great 
First  Cause,  all  these  energies  of  the  soul  are  without  an  ade- 
quate end,  and  are  delusive  voices  summoning  us  to  the  attain- 
ment of  the  unattainable.  That  the  illusory  should  be  higher 
than  the  real  is  inconceivable  ;  and  that  a  veracious  nature  should 
point  us  to  what  does  not  exist  is  impossible.  If,  then,  it  be 
true  that  infinite  goodness,  truth,  and  beauty  are  unknowable  by 
science  and  philosophy,  as  the  Agnostic  says ;  if,  at  least,  the 
means  of  union  with  the  Eternal-Absolute  are  beyond  the  ken 
of  the  unaided  intellect  and  beyond  the  reach  of  the  unaided 
will,  there  must  be  a  revelation  of  them,  to  make  true  the  voices 
which  speak  within  the  bosom  of  duty,  of  the  ideal,  of  God, 
and  of  immortal  life  and  love. 

The  a  posteriori  argument  for  revelation  is  based  upon  the 
fact  that  nearly  every  civilized  or  partially  civilized  nation  of 
which  history  contains  any  record  has  believed  in  some  sort  of 
a  revelation  from  the  gods,  to  which  is  attributed  all  its  bless- 
ings. Every  explanation  of  this  phenomenon  given  by  those  who 
deny  the  existence  of  revelation  is  ridiculously  inadequate  to  ac- 
count either  for  it,  or  for  many  of  the  concomitant  facts  con- 
nected with  the  persistence  and  development  of  religions.  The 
Catholic  Church,  in  particular,  can  be  proven  to  be  the  true 
guardian  of  revelation  by  the  many  remarkable  peculiarities 
which  distinguish  her  from  all  other  systems,  and  which  show  her 
to  be  unmistakably  of  a  supernatural  or,  at  least,  a  more  than 
human  origin.  Among  these  peculiarities  are  her  geographical 
universality  ;  her  exceptional  claims  to  a  divine  teaching  and  ad- 
ministrative authority  over  all  mankind  ;  the  definiteness  and 
clearness  of  her  teachings  ;  her  miraculous  unity  and  consistency ; 


48  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

her  wonderful  fecundity  in  devotion  and  organization  ;  and 
the  adaptedness  of  her  innumerable  modes  of  devotion  and 
of  organized  activity  to  all  the  needs  and  tastes  of  mankind,  so 
that  every  one  can  find  in  the  church  a  much  more  satisfying 
spiritual  nourishment,  and  opportunities  more  suited  to  his  own 
peculiar  tastes,  dispositions  and  capacities,  whatever  they  may  be, 
than  he  can  possibly  find  outside  of  it.  These  and  many  other 
features  of  the  Catholic  Church  place  it  far  above  all  other 
religions  which  have  ever  existed,  even  in  the  imagination  of 
man.  The  Church  is,  in  fact,  itself  a  stupendous  miracle,  in  the 
presence  of  which  all  other  wonders  are  as  rushlights  beside  the 
sun. 

I  have  lately  published,  in  the  concise  form  of  A  Hjindred 
Theses  on  the  Foiitidations  of  Human  Kfiowledge,  a  synopsis  of  the 
line  of  demonstration  of  the  divinity  of  the  Church  of  which  I 
have  here  given  a  few  hints.  I  may  add  that  the  publication  was 
determined  partly  by  the  great  practical  efficiency  of  the  argu- 
ment shown  by  a  successful  application  of  it  in  particular 
cases. 

Turning  to  the  destructive  line  of  argument,  we  find  the 
fundamental  error  of  Agnosticism  to  be  the  negation  of  revela- 
tion. To  meet  this  negation  by  the  critical  method  it  is  neces- 
sary to  challenge  that  assumption  of  the  validity  of  reason  and 
observation  which  is  the  fundamental  postulate  of  the  system. 
It  is  impossible  for  the  Agnostics  to  justify  their  implicit  confi- 
dence in  the  natural  powers  of  man,  except  by  the  recognition 
of  the  veracity  of  our  own  natures,  which  leads  inevitably  to  the 
acceptance  of  the  Catholic  Church  as  the  only  justification  and 
basis  of  the  religious  and  moral  truths  to  whose  existence  the 
grace-assisted  nature  of  man  testifies  with  an  unfaltering  voice.  It 
can  be  shown  that  Agnosticism,  in  its  last  analysis,  abuts  in 
universal  scepticism,  which  is  too  intolerable  an  absurdity  to  long 
receive  the  adhesion  of  any  healthy  mind.  A  real  sceptic— 
as  distinguished  from  a  merely  speculative  one — doubting,  as  he 
must  do,  not  only  the  testimony  of  his  bodily  senses,  and  the 
validity  of  his  reason,  but  even  his  own  existence,  would  land 
inevitably  in  the   mad-house. 

The  Agnostic  is  an  easy  prey  to  the  dialectician,  for  between 
the  Catholic  Church  and  universal  scepticism  there  is  no  tenable 
middle-ground,  and  Agnosticism  discards  most  of  the  paltry 
devices  by  which  Protestants  and  Pagans  have  sought  to  protect 
themselves  from  the  consequences  of  their  negations. 

There  are,  in  reality,  but    two    religions    and  two  philosophies 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  49 

in  the  world:  the  worship  of  the  Eternal  Truth  and  the  blas- 
phemous cultus  of  the  eternal  Lie.  All  error  springs  from  the 
negation  of  the  Word  of  God,  spoken  in  eternity  and  in  time,  in 
the  church,  in  nature,  and  in  man.  There  is  a  gradual  descent 
from  the  light  of  all  inclusive  truth  to  the  shadows  of  universal 
negation. 

God  speaks  pre-eminently  through  the  church,  but  the  Protes- 
tant calls  her  teaching  false ;  he  speaks  in  the  Scriptures,  but  the 
rationalist  rejects  them  ;  he  speaks  in  the  soul  of  man,  but  the  Ag- 
nostic will  not  believe  ;  he  speaks  through  the  human  senses  and 
consciousness,  but  the  Transcendentalists  and  idealists  give  them 
the  lie  ;  and,  finally,  we  reach  the  Religion  of  the  Lie,  par  excel- 
lence, which  repudiates  the  testimony  of  consciousness  to  our 
own  existence  and  that  of  the  material  world,  and  worships  a 
Brahma  who  is  nothing  more  than  an  infinite  and  all-embracing 
negation. 

No  error  exists  which  is  not  at  bottom  a  negation  ;  and 
there  is  no  negation  which  does  not  spring  from  an  imperfect 
realization  of  the  essential  veracity  of  God,  and  the  resultant 
trustworthiness  of  every  nature  and  operation  which  owes  its 
origin  to  him.  Agnosis  is  the  essence  of  every  error  ;  not  the 
true  Agnosis,  which  is  a  just  recognition  of  the  limitations  of 
finite  intelligence  ;  but  the  false  Agnosis,  which  is  mental  blind- 
ness. Gaudama  Buddha,  the  prophet  of  Negation,  uttered  his 
own  condemnation  when  he  preached  the  great  truth  that  "  igno- 
rance is  the  cause  of  all  misery  and  error."  The  Sanskrit 
word  for  ignorance,  avidya,  is  an  exact  equivalent  of  Agnosis. 
The  Agnosticism  of  Buddha  is  nearly  akin  to  that  of  Huxley; 
and  both  are  explicitly,  what  all  false  systems,  religions,  and 
philosophies  at  bottom  are,  in  so  far  as  they  are  false,  systema- 
tized nescience. 

In  particular  cases  of  controversy  it  will  not  do  to  leave  out 
of  consideration  the  personal  position  of  one's  antagonist.  There 
are  Agnostics  and  Agnostics.  Many  of  them  are  so  only 
from  intellectual  indolence,  and  believe  that  religious  and  meta- 
physical truths  are  unknowable  for  the  simple  reason  that  they 
have  never  taken  the  trouble  to  become  acquainted  with  them. 
With  that  sort  of  men  it  is  useless  to  argue,  but  they  must  be 
put  to  reading,  if  possible,  something  which  will  infuse  into 
them  a  desire  for  a  higher  knowledge  and  a  higher  life  than  any 
of  which  they  dream. 

Others  have  become  Agnostics  by  a  process  of  strictly  legiti- 
mate reasoning  from  false  premises,  which  have  come  to  them 
4 


50  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

by  tradition,  and  which  it  has  never  occurred  to  them  to  ques- 
tion. The  active  and  logical  thinker  who  takes  as  the  basis  of 
his  reasoning  Xht  negations  of  Protestantism  will  not  fail  to  work 
his  way  into  rationalism,  and  to  reach  Agnosticism  he  only  needs 
to  carry  his  logic  a  step  further.  It  is  true  that  a  pursuance  of 
the  same  process  would  land  him  in  scepticism,  and  this  he 
must  be  made  to  realize.  We  may  be  sure  that  he  will  recoil 
with  horror  from  the  gaping  throat  of  Chaos,  and  gladly  welcome 
the  hand  which  will  lift  him  upon  the  rock  of  universal  and 
eternal  truth. 

Among  those  who  are  Agnostics  from  conviction  are  a  few 
whose  spiritual  sense  is  so  developed  that  a  presentation  of  the 
interior  aspects  of  Christianity  may  be  more  efficacious  than  any 
logic.  For  such,  and  indeed  for  any  sincere  and  honest  Agnos- 
tic, I  would  recommend  a  reading  of  the  works  of  Father 
Hecker,  in  particular  The  Questions  of  the  Soul.  For  those  in 
whom  the  rational  element  largely  predominates,  Cardinal  New- 
man's Grammar  of  Assent,  Wilfrid  Ward's  Clothes  of  Religion, 
and  Bishop  Spalding's  recent  pamphlet  on  Agnosticism  may  be 
suitable ;  and  if  their  Agnosticism  has  been  in  any  degree  due 
to  scientific  reading.  Professor  St,  George  Mivart's  great  work, 
On    Truth  :  A    Systematic   Inquiry,  may  be  found  efficacious. 

In  all  cases  where  our  opponents  are  not  evidently  in  bad 
faith,  or  gratuitously .  offensive,  it  is  of  prime  importance  to 
eschew  both  the  use  of  obnoxious  epithets  and  the  statement  of 
irritating  truths.  It  would  in  controversy  be  in  the  highest  de- 
gree rash,  for  instance,  to  characterize  one's  opponents  as  wor- 
shippers of  the  Eternal  Lie,  or  propagators  of  systematized 
nescience,  even  though  we  believe  such  a  characterization  to  be 
just.  The  guiding  star  of  the  apostle  and  the  apologist  should 
be  the  maxim  of  St.  Francis  of  Sales,  which  has  been  often,  but 
cannot  be  too  often  repeated  :•"  You  can  catch  more  flies  with 
one  spoonful  of  honey  than  with  a  whole  barrel  of  vinegar." 

Before  concluding  I  would  like  to  call  attention  to  a  most 
important  and  pressing  need,  that  of  specialization  in  apologetics. 
The  time  has  come  for  a  more  aggressive  poHcy  towards  the 
unbelieving  world.  The  field,  more  than  ever  before,  is  ripe  for 
the  harvest.  Thousands  of  souls  are  seeking  anxiously  in  the 
obscurest  byways  of  human  aberration  for  the  light  and 
peace  which  can  be  found  only  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church. 
The  material  unification  of  the  globe  is  making  its  remotest 
corners  accessible  to  the  apostle  of  truth  and  the  finger  of  divinely- 
established  authority,  and  this  is  preparing    it  for  religious  unity. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  51 

Now  is  the  opportune  moment  for  a  grand  united  effort  on 
the  part  of  the  citizens  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  to  bring  under 
its  allegiance  the  intellect  and  will  and  life  of  every  human 
being.  But  man  is  an  imitative  animal  ;  and  the  masses  of  men 
follow  blindly  their  leaders,  even  though  self-appointed.  It  is 
all-important,  then,  to  conquer  for  Christ  the  active  intellects  and 
the  exalted  souls  whose  influence  determines  largely  the  course 
of  lesser  men.  In  order  to  thus  lead  the  leaders  of  men,  and 
to  heal  the  poisoned  stream  at  its  source,  it  is  desirable  that 
Catholics  who  feel  called  upon  to  take  an  active  part  in  the 
warfare  against  error  should  make  a  special  study  of  some  one  of 
its  protean  forms,  and  devote  their  energies  to  that  one  alone. 
If  great  geniuses  devote  their  lives  to  the  elaboration  of  systems 
vitiated  by  fundamental  errors,  there  ought  to  be  found  cham 
pions  of  truth  to  equally  devote  their  lives  to  the  demolishing  of 
their  structure  so  far  as  it  is  false,  and  the  preservation  of  such 
fibres  of  new  truth  as  may  have  here  and  there  found  a  lodg- 
ment in  it. 

Oh !  that  Divine  Providence  would  raise  up  an  order  of  in- 
tellectual chivalry,  which  should  devote  itself  to  the  sole  task  of 
combating  error,  not  in  the  trivial  manner  of  the  popular  con- 
troversialists, but  in  a  far  more  thorough  and  effectual  way, 
which  demands  a  lifetime  of  tireless  vigils  and  of  most  arduous 
and  single-hearted  labors.  When  such  specialists  shall  exist,  a 
work  most  important  for  them  to  do  will  be  the  publication  of 
well-annotated  editions  of  the  principal  expositions  of  popular 
systems,  in  which  each  over-statement  will  be  corrected  and  each 
false  argument  answered  as  it  appears.  In  the  meantime  let  us 
do  what  we  can.  We  must  square  ourselves  for  the  fight,  stand 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  cast  abroad  upon  the  winds  of  our  beloved 
country  the  banner  of  the  Cross,  and  press  the  foe  closely  at 
every  point. 

We  are  certain  of  victory  upon  any  battle-field  and  with  any 
weapons.  Our  position  is  completely  vindicated  by  reason,  by 
philosophy,  by  science,  by  history,  and  by  the  inmost  experi- 
ences of  our  own  souls.  On  our  side  is  light,  and  truth,  and 
God.  On  the  side  of  the  enemy  is  darkness,  and  error,  and  the 
prince  of  this  world. 

What  madness  would  it  be  to  doubt  the  issue!  We  enter 
upon  this  combat  in  no  spirit  of  hostility  to  our  fellow-citizens 
outside  the  church,  but  in  one  of  deepest  love  and  sympathy. 
They  are  for  the  most  part  innocent  victims  of  the  ignorance 
and  crime  of  their  remote  ancestors ;  we  would  break  the  chains 


52  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

of  their  slavery  to  error,  and  lead  them  into  the  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God.  "  Our  warfare  is  not  against  flesh  and  blood," 
as  said  the  Apostle,  but  against  the  invisible  powers  of  darkness, 
by  which  those  who  are  bone  of  our  bone  and  flesh  of  our  flesh 
are  held  in  degrading  bondage. 

Let  us,  moved  by  such  thoughts,  be  of  good  courage  ;  let  us 
hold  high  against  the  blue  heaven  of  eternal  hope  our  glorious 
Gnosis,  in  the  face  of  the  Agnosis  of  the  multitude ;  let  us 
make  our  countrymen  hear  that  Voice  which  speaks  to  the  world 
"  as  One  having  authority  and  not  as  the  scribes  "  ;  let  us  impart 
to  them  a  supreme  confidence  in  him  who  is  the  Infinite  Truth, 
and  could  not  leave  them  in  ignorance  regarding  all  that  is 
most  worthy  of  knowledge  ;  in  him  who  is  the  infinite  Goodness, 
and  could  not  leave  them  without  an  unquestionable  norm  of 
sacred  duty ;  in  him  who  is  the  Infinite  Love,  and  could  not 
starve  their   souls  with  the  parched  husks  of  a  lifeless  nature. 

I  need  not  say  "  Let  us  do  this."  For  by  our  very  assem- 
blage with  the  avowed  object  of  furthering  the  APOSTOLATE  OF 
THE  Press  we  have  already  thrown  down  the  gauntlet  to  the 
worshipper  of  the  Mammon  of  Humanity,  of  the  Unknowable, 
and  of  all  other  false  gods,  and  we  challenge  them  this  day 
with  the  same  proud  words  which  were  the  battle-cry  of  the 
angels,  at  the  outset  of  that  cosmic  war  now  approaching,  we 
hope,  its  triumphant  close  :  Quis  ut  Deus ! — Who  is  like  unto 
God? 


The  Apostolate  oe  the  Press.  53 


THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH  AND  THE  COLORED 

PEOPLE. 

BY  CHARLES  H.  BUTLER,  OF  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

I  DEEM  it  a  great  privilege  to  preface  by  a  few  words  what 
my  friend,  Mr.  Rudd,  is  to  say  in  relation  to  the  outlook  of 
CatJiolicity  among  the  people  of  my  race.  The  work  of  evangel- 
izing the  masses  of  the  colored  people,  thanks  to  Almighty  God 
and  the  good  fathers  engaged  in  the  work,  is  progressing  admir- 
ably. It  has  surpassed  the  sanguine  expectation  of  the  most 
hopeful.  But  our  missions  lack  funds.  I  am  not  too  modest  to 
say  that  those  who  are  possessed  of  this  world's  goods  could  not 
perform  a  greater  work  of  charity  than  by  assisting  financially 
the  fathers  engaged  in  our  Southern  missions. 

Mr.  President,  I  wish  to  call  your  attention  to  a  class  of 
colored  citizens  who  are  outside  the  fold  of  the  church,  and 
could  be  made  a  useful  and  potent  part  if  their  conversion 
could  be  accomplished.  I  refer  to  those  in  the  higher  walks  of 
life,  and  who  have  received  the  benefits  of  our  modern  civiliza- 
tion. I  claim  that  if  the  broad  teaching  of  that  truth  which 
was  taught  by  Christ  and  ever  since  his  day  proclaimed  by  the 
Catholic  Church,  that  "  all  men  are  brothers  and  have'  equal 
rights,"  were  practised  by  the  members  of  the  church  all  over 
this  broad  land,  our  now  thin  ranks  would  be  largely  recruited 
from  that  class,  for  they  are  beginning  to  see  that  in  following 
Protestant  methods  they  are  merely  chasing  phantoms.  They 
have  their  Masonic  lodges,  but  are  repudiated  by  the  members 
of  the  white  craft.  What  is  true  of  this  organization  is  true  of 
every  organization  under  the  rule  and  guidance  of  Protestant 
churches.  Why,  in  the  city  of  Washington — right  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Goddess  of  Liberty — they  have  a  white  men's 
Christian  Association  and  a  colored  men's  Christian  Association  ! 
Now,  this  condition  of  affairs  is  becoming  disgusting  to  the  Pro- 
testant colored  people. 

The  use  of  the  Catholic  press  can  do  much  towards  the  con- 
version of  that  class  of  citizens  ;  but  I  am  a  member  of  the 
colored  race,  and  I  think  I  know  whereof  I  speak.  And  I  af- 
firm that  the  great  attraction  for  the  colored  race  is  the  pulpit. 
Give  them    a    few    of  your    best  speakers,  and  they  will  flock   to 


54 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 


our  churches  in  great  numbers.  As  stated  in  your  letter  of  invi- 
tation, "  We  are  right  and  we  can  prove  it."  The  question  is, 
how  to  do  it.  The  living  missionary,  powerful  of  word  and 
mighty  with  the  great  organization  of  the  church  at  his  back, 
is  the  first  and  most  potent  means  for  the  spread  of  our  holy 
faith  among  the  colored  people. 

Next  to  this  I  would  encourage  the  distribution  of  Catholic 
literature,  believing  it  will  prove  a  great  benefit.  But,  as  I 
stated  before,  the  great  attraction  for  the  colored  race  is  the 
pulpit. 

Pardon  me,  Mr.  President  and  members  of  the  Convention, 
if,  by  referring  to  my  own  locality  in  what  I  shall  say,  I  may 
appear  selfish  ;  but  what  I  shall  say  of  my  own  city  may  be  ap- 
plied to  other  cities.  In  Washington  we  are  in  danger  of  losing 
many  of  our  young  colored  men.  The  causes  are  many.  The 
first  and  most  important  is  this :  They  are  aware  that  the  church 
teaches  that  "  all  men  are  equal  before  God,"  but  they  see  so 
little  of  it  practised  by  the  members  of  the  church  in  that  city 
that  they  are  beginning  to  think  that  they,  like  the  members  of 
other  denominations,  are  anxious  only  to  save  certain  kinds  of 
souls.  We  recognize  the  fact  that  prejudice  in  this  country  is 
deep-seated,  and  time  alone  can  wipe  it  out.  In  the  meantime 
we  are  losing  ground.  I  and  my  co-laborers  in  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington are,  in  our  humble  way,  endeavoring  to  co-operate  with 
our  priests  in  stemming  the  threatening  tide.  We  have  con- 
nected ourselves  with  that  noble  organization,  the  Catholic 
Young  Men's  National  Union.  We  are  endeavoring  to  build  a 
"  reading  and  lecture-room,"  where  all  will  be  welcomed 
without  regard  to  race  or  color,  and  the  only  qualification  for 
eligibility  to  membership  will  be,  "Are  you  a  practical  Catholic  ?" 
We  hope  to  gather  in  all  the  young  Catholic  men  in  the  city, 
and  they  will  be  permitted  to  invite  their  Protestant  friends. 
But  to  accomplish  this  it  will  require  funds,  which  we  are  with- 
out ;  but  we  are  relying  upon  God  and  our  generous  friends  to 
help  us  in  this  work.  Those  who  will  assist  us  in  the  work  of 
reclaiming  these  young  men  will  receive  the  prayers  of  the  aged 
Christian  members  of  my  race,  many  of  whom  have  been  sorely 
tried  by  afflictions  within  and  without  the  fold,  but  have  borne 
all  patiently,  caring  not  though  they  were  consigned  to  some 
obscure  corner  of  the  church.  The  all-important  question  to 
them  was,  "  Is  this  a  Catholic  Church  ?  Does  God  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  reign  upon  the  altar  ?" 

And    you,    ladies    and    gentlemen,    who    are    engaged    in    the 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  55 

Apostolate    of    the    Press,    I    earnestly   exhort    to    keep    the 
colored  question  prominently  before  the  Catholic    public — 

"  Speak  of  us  as  we  are  :  nothing  extenuate, 
Nor  set  down  augfht  in  malice." 


THE  OUTLOOK  AMONG  THE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

BY   DAN.    A.    RUDD,    EDITOR   OF     THE    "AMERICAN    CATHOLIC     TRI- 
BUNE,"   OF   CINCINNATI,    O. 

I  HAVE  been  asked  to  read  a  paper  before  this  Convention.  I 
confess  that  I  accepted  the  courteous  and  cordial  invitation  with 
some  timidity,  and  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  this  is  one  of 
the  greatest  opportunities  that  has  yet  been  offered  me  to  lay 
this  subject  before  the  people,  I  should  have  hesitated  and  per- 
haps have  declined  the  honorable  duty.  The  work  of  the  church 
among  the  colored  people  of  the  United  States  is  one  so  far- 
reaching  in  its  possible  benefits  to  that  peculiar  race,  that  no 
one  can  give  in  a  single  paper  a  full  view  of  it. 

The  fundamental  principle  of  the  American  government  is, 
that  all  men  are  born  free  and  equal.  Its  primal  law  declares 
that  no  one  shall  be  molested  in  life,  in  liberty,  or  in  the  pur- 
suit of  happiness,  and  all  Americans  agree  that  every  man  shall 
be  allowed  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  a  right 
conscience.  Now,  every  one  of  these  fundamental  principles  in 
the  structural  fabric  of  this  Republic  is  strictly  Catholic.  Then, 
with  the  church  and  state  fully  agreeing  in  these  premises,  it 
should  be  an  easy  matter  to  enter  heart  and  soul,  not  only  into 
the  discussion  of  the  work  of  the  church  among  Afro-Americans, 
but  also  to  discuss  in  connection  therewith  their  every  condition 
on  every  foot  of  soil  in  this  land  of  ours. 

And  it  does  seem  to  me  that  there  is  one  class  of  our  citizens 
who  have  at  least  more  than  their  share  of  the  ills  that  lay 
athwart  the  pathway  of  American  life.  I  refer  to  my  own  race. 
There  are  ten  millions  of  the  race  in  the  United  States,  and 
during  the  past  twenty-five  years,  amid  doubts  and  strifes,  amid 
the  hates  and  loves  of  those  with  whom  they  live,  have  pressed 
forward  in  the  race  which  fills  every  avenue  where  human  skill, 
virtue,  and  intellect  avail.  Of  these  ten  milHons  in  the  United 
States  not  to  exceed  one-fourth  belong  to  any  sort    of  Christian- 


56  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

ity.  There  are  more  than  a  milHon  Baptists,  about  the  same 
number  of  Methodists,  probably  more  than  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  scattered  among  the  other  sects,  and  upwards  of 
two  hundred  thousand  Catholics.  This  leaves  three-fourths  of 
them  outside  the  pale  of  Christianity.  There  are  several  reasons 
for  this.  One  is  that  we  copy  our  surroundings.  The  whites 
are  scarcely  better  off  than  we  are  in  this  respect.  If  we  were 
all  good,  we  should  be  entirely  different  from  the  race  after 
which  we  take  pattern. 

But  there  never  was  a  better  opportunity  for  missionary 
work  in  the  world  than  arnong  colored  people  of  the  United 
States,  their  budding  intellects  seeking  after  truth,  the  tendrils 
of  their  development  grasping  with  eagerness  every  truth  that 
promises  to  lead  them  into  higher  life.  The  misinformation,  not 
prejudice,  that  has  kept  the  masses  of  the  race  outside  the 
church  is  happily  passing  away,  and  as  the  heavy  clouds  of 
ignorance  and  superstition  roll  back  from  the  light  of  faith  and 
reason,  tens  of  thousands  of  them,  from  Maine  to  New  Orleans, 
are  standing  forth  true  soldiers  of  the  Cross,  and  are  planting  the 
banner  of  Christ  upon  walls  and  ramparts  where  a  quarter  of  a 
century  ago  such  a  thing  would  have  appeared  as  madness. 
The  Catholic  Church  sends  missionaries  to  Africa  by  the 
hundreds  to  spread  the  Gospel  among  the  benighted  heathen, 
and  that  means  that  we  are  sending  many  of  them  to  martyr- 
dom, either  amid  the  fevers  of  that  tropical  clime  or  at  the 
hands  of  the  savage  tribes  with  whom  they  have  to  deal. 

No  such  conditions  exist  here.  The  Catholic  missionary  can 
stand  upon  every  hill-top  and  in  every  valley  of  America,  be- 
tween the  rolling  seas,  and  there  shall  be  no  one  to  molest  him 
or  make  him  afraid.  North  or  South,  East  or  West,  the  Catho- 
lic priest  is  loved,  ho7wred,  and  respected  by  every  colored  man  he 
meets,  no  matter  whether  this  colored  man  be  a  Hard-shell 
Baptist,  a  Free-will  Baptist,  or  an  African  Methodist,  or  no  sort 
of  a  Protestant  at  all.  Whence  comes  this  good  will  towards 
the  Catholic  clergy?  It  is  owing  to  the  matchless  charities  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  the  absolute  equality  before  her  altars,  her 
magnificent  rites  and  ceremonials.  These,  as  well  as  the  elevat- 
ing influence  of  her  doctrines  and  her  direct  connection  with 
Christ  through  her  Sacraments,  have  gained  the  admiration  and 
confidence  of  a  developing  race  as  they  reach  up  out  of  the 
dark.  I  ask  you,  my  fellow-Catholics,  to  cast  within  their  reach 
the  anchor-chain  of  Catholic    hope. 

This  can  be  done  in  the  church,  in  the  school-room,  in  socie- 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  57 

ties  for  young  men  and  women,  in  business  relations ;  in  fact,  in 
every  walk  of  life,  but  especially  by  means  of  the  press.  Catho 
lies  belonging  to  the  various  trade-unions  should  demand  that 
their  race  barriers  be  beaten  down.  Catholics  in  business  should 
employ  colored  people  as  they  do  anybody  else,  upon  the  sole 
ground  of  merit.  Catholics  as  individuals  should  upon  every 
opportunity  overcome  American  prejudice,  and  treat  their  fellow- 
men  of  every  race  with  the  same  justice,  in  private  and  in  pub- 
lic, that  they  demand  for  themselves.  They  will  thus  follow 
directly  the  teachings  of  Holy  Church  since  her  foundation  by 
Christ  our  Lord,  and  will  make  greater  the  heritage  of  future 
generations,  by  absolutely  unfurling  the  banner  of  freedom  and 
justice.  They  will  also  be  in  full  accord  with  the  declaration  of 
American  independence.  There  is  no  greater  agency  for  the 
development  of  work  along  these  lines  than  the  Catholic  press. 
The  newspaper,  the  magazine,  and  the  tract  are  but  the  picket- 
guards  of  Catholic  Bible  and  prayer-books.  And  let  me  ask  for 
a  liberal  support  on  the  part  of  Catholics  generally  of  all  publi- 
cations conducted  by  colored  Catholics,  so  that  they  may  become 
as  welcome  to  Protestants  as  they  are  to  members  of  our  own 
faith. 

The  Apostolate  of  the  Press,  grand  in  its  conception, 
immeasurable  in  its  possibilities,  is  destined  in  the  future  to  do 
incalculable  good  in  the  spread  of  Catholic  truth. 


58  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

THE    GENERAL    MISSIONARY    OUTLOOK. 

BY  JOHN   MCCARTHY,    OF   SYRACUSE,    N.  Y. 

Mr,  Chairman  and  Gentlemen:  I  believe  that  the  twen- 
tieth century  will  witness  the  virtual  absorption  of  the  great  Amer- 
ican people  into  the  bosom  of  the  only  true  faith.  To-day  I  see  a 
population  of  about  sixty  millions  of  souls,  one-sixth  of  whom 
are  Catholics,  but,  with  the  prescience  of  one  on  the  borders  of 
another  world,  I  foresee  the  augmented  millions  of  the  coming 
years  in  this  home  of  freedom  gathered  into  and  rejoicing  in 
the  only  creed  which  is  worthy  of  the  inherent  dignity  of  human 
nature.  Since  the  incarnation  of  our  divine  Lord  human  nature 
has  never  ceased  to  progress,  and  finally  the  divine  truth  will 
take  possession  of  mankind.  A  nobler  type  of  manhood  for  the 
development  of  Christ's  church  on  earth  exists  nowhere  than 
within  our  own  broad  domains. 

The  fundamental  principles  of  true  religion  here  seem  to  find 
their  most  practical  and  fitting  preparation.  Our  civil  institu- 
tions and  political  methods  are  based  upon  the  teachings  of  the 
Gospel.  The  distinctive  features  of  our  form  of  government, 
such  as  equality  before  the  law,  human  brotherhood,  the  innate 
freedom  and  dignity  of  man,  reflect,  as  do  those  of  no  other  na- 
tion, the  comprehensive  and  all-abiding  love  of  the  world's  Re- 
deemer for  our  race.  He  came  to  lift  up  humanity,  and  to  re- 
store to  it  its  forfeited  birthright.  Through  the  ages  his  Holy 
Church  has  labored  to  that  end,  and  now,  with  accelerated  pace 
and  prospects  of  speedy  triumph,  she  girds  herself  anew  for  the 
final  conflict  with  the  hosts  of  error. 

The  designs  of  Providence  seem  to  point  to  this  continent 
as  the  field  whereon  religious  truth  shall  achieve  its  greatest  vic- 
tories. The  history  of  Mother  Church  for  the  past  nineteen  hun- 
dred years  affords  no  parallel  to  the  rapid  advance  which  she 
has  made  in  this  country  in  the  last  fifty  years.  God  permitted, 
as  an  object-lesson,  that  human  pride  should  assert  itself  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  be  allowed  to  despoil  Christianity  of  a 
portion  of  its  fair  heritage.  The  result,  foretold  in  Holy  Writ, 
has  come  to  pass.  The  edifices  of  dissent,  based  only  upon  re- 
bellious human  reason,  uncemented  by  divine  grace,  buttressed 
only  by  perverse  human  will,  have  succumbed  to  the  weakness  of 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  59 

all  earthly  things,  and  are  now  tottering  to  their  fall.  Foreseeing 
that  human  reason  itself  would  in  the  end  recognize  the  fact 
that  only  supernatural  grace  could  build  up  and  maintain  an  in- 
stitution which  should  be  man's  ark  of  safety,  God  prepared  a 
virginal  continent  whereon  he  decreed  that  his  Holy  Church 
should  in  due  time  prevail,  and  from  whence,  as  a  city  set  upon 
a  hill,  its  missionaries  should  go  forth  to  all  parts  of  the  earth, 
to  gather  into  the  fold  of  Christ  all  tribes,  all  nations,  and  all 
peoples. 

I  esteem  it,  then,  a  great  privilege  to  be  present  at  this 
assemblage  of  zealous  priests  and  representative  men  and  women 
of  the  Catholic  laity  convened  for  the  greater  glory  of  God  and 
the  dissemination  of  divine  truth.  His  blessing  will  assuredly 
rest  upon  its  deliberations  and  direct  its  actions.  The  outcome 
of  it,  I  trust  and  believe,  will  be  the  inauguration  of  a  new  era 
of  progress  in  the  history  of  the  Church  in  America.  Called  to- 
gether under  the  auspices  of  the  Most  Rev.  Archbishop  of  New 
York,  and  assisted  by  the  missionaries  of  the  great  Apostle,  the 
blessed  St.  Paul,  its  purposes  cannot  fail  of  achievement.  The 
special  graces  which  God  granted  from  his  early  childhood  to 
Isaac  Hecker  for  the  conversion  of  souls,  and  the  blessing  which 
our  Holy  Father  Pope  Pius  IX.  bestowed  upon  him  personally, 
upon  his  community  and  upon  its  especial  work,  will  undoubted- 
ly find  manifestation  here.  The  time  is  propitious,  the  generous 
soil  is  ready  for  the  tillage,  the  seed  is  fructified  by  God's  grace ; 
and,  if  the  husbandmen  are  active,  wise,  and  prudent,  the  har- 
vest-field will  teem  with  newly-gathered  sheaves  of  immortal 
souls. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  if  the  conversion  of  fifty  millions  of 
intelligent,  and,  as  a  rule,  naturally  moral  people,  is  a  work  of 
merit  in  the  sight  of  God,  how  happy  we  ought  to  feel  in  being 
called  on  to  participate  in  the  glorious  work  !  And  such  is  the 
work  to  which  we  are  on  this  occasion  invited.  This  Convention 
says  to  the  world.  We  will  never  rest  until  the  American 
people  are  gathered  into  the  fold  of  Christ. 

We  say  to  our  fellow-Catholics  that  the  living  voice  is  inade- 
quate to  reach  multitudes  of  willing  ears  and  of  well-disposed 
hearts.  That  voice  must  be  supplemented  by  the  printing-press. 
God's  grace  must  be  conveyed  as  quickly  as  possible  to  our 
brethren  hungering  in  the  desert.  Our  motto  should  be :  "  The 
largest  amount  of  Divine  truth  to  the  greatest  number  of  souls T  The 
free  circulation  of  Catholic  literature  amongst  our  own,  both 
young  and  old,  and  in    a   suitable    form    amongst    our   dissenting 


6o  The  Apostolate  oe  the  Press. 

brethren,  is  the  problem  which  we  wish  to  solve.  God  grant 
that  you  and  I  and  every  one  of  us  may  be  guided  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  suggest  practical  methods  with  which  to  strengthen  the 
hands  of  all  Catholic  missionaries  in  their  efforts,  and  thereby 
bring  to  our  countrymen  the  grace  of  that  quick  conversion 
which  happily  befell  the  great  patron  and  prototype  of  all  zeal- 
ous souls  on  the  road  to  Damascus. 

Nineteen  centuries  have  elapsed  since  the  birth  of  Christianity, 
and  multitudes  of  his  creatures  still  await  the  coming  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  ;  but  now  the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day  is  at  hand. 
The  sky  is  blushing  with  a  beautiful  aurora.  The  cohorts  of 
truth  and  of  error  are  being  rapidly  marshalled  into  opposing 
ranks.  The  twentieth  century  is  the  allotted  time — America  will 
furnish  the  field  of  conflict.  The  issue  is  not  doubtful.  On  one 
side  are  arrayed  the  friends  of  the  Almighty  Creator  of  the  uni- 
verse, panoplied  with  his  divine  grace,  and  on  the  other  side 
the  blind  advocates  of  poor,  weak,  self-asserting  human  reason. 
The  end  of  the  twentieth  century  will,  I  believe,  find  our  beloved 
country  in  the  vanguard  of  the  great  army  of  the  Lord  God  of 
hosts.  I  trust  that  this  Convention  and  its  proceedings  will  be 
like  a  trumpet-note  which  will  summon  all  who  love  his  Holy 
Name  to  advance  his  banner  on  high. 


The  AposroLATE  of  the  Press  6i 

THE    OUTLOOK   IN    CANADA. 

BY   J.    A.   J.    MCKENNA,    OF   OTTAWA,    ONT. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  treat  of  the  outlook  in  Canada.  The 
Catholics  form  an  important  proportion  of  the  population,  but 
they  are  divided  by  difTerence  in  language.  The  French  have 
their  own  literature — both  religious  and  secular.  Canada's  great 
Catholic  university  is  French,  and  the  language  of  France  pre- 
dominates in  most  of  the  institutions  of  higher  education.  No 
one  but  a  French  Canadian  could  deal  with  the  outlook  for  the 
Apostolate  of  the  Press  in  the  Province  of  Quebec.  And  as  to 
the  English-speaking  Catholics  of  Canada,  they  are  so  thinly  scat- 
tered over  so  vast  an  extent  of  territory  that  it  is  impossible  to 
get,  from  any  point  of  view,  a  well-defined   outlook. 

But  this  much  is  certain  :  There  are  wide  fields  in  every  Pro- 
vince of  the  Dominion  awaiting  the  laborers  of  the  Apostolate 
of  the  Press.  The  ground  has  not  been  so  well  broken  as  in 
the  United  States,  and  the  workers  may  meet  with  more  diffi- 
culties, for  we  have  had  no  Hecker  going  before  as  a  precursor 
preparing  the  way,  awakening  the  clergy  to  the  needs  of  the 
hour,  and  pointing  out  to  laymen  and  women  the  part  they 
should  bear  in  the  missionary  work  of  the  church.  There  has 
not  been  such  powerful  influences  at  work  in  Canada  in  break- 
ing down  Protestant  prejudices  as  in  the  United  States.  The 
privileges  which  are  in  certain  parts  enjoyed  as  to  separate 
schools  are  due  to  the  political  influence  of  French  Catholic 
Quebec,  not  to  any  marked  spirit  of  liberality  on  the  part  of 
our  separated  brethren.  The  United  Empire  Loyalists  who  set- 
tled in  Canada  were  as  anti-Catholic  as  they  were  anti  republi 
can,  and  their  descendants  have  retained  much  of  the  anti-papal 
virus.  The  Exeter-Hall  type  of  preacher  is  still  extant  in  Cana- 
da ;  and  Orangeism  is  more  at  home  to  the  north  than  to  the 
south  of  the  border.  But  Orangemen,  it  must  be  always  remem- 
bered, are  very  much  like  frogs  about  a  pond  :  they  make  more 
noise  than  their  importance  warrants.  And  although  there  is  a 
deal  of  anti-Catholic  prejudice  abroad,  there  are  many  such 
Protestants  in  every  part  of  Canada  as  those  for  whom  Father 
Young  once  made  an  appeal  in  The  Catholic  World. 

Many  of  the  non-Catholics  with  whom  I  have  been  brought 
into    intimate    relations    are    men   of   good    will,    some    of    whom 


62  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

would  put  us  to  shame  by  the  interest  they  take  in  their  litera- 
ture and  in  their  church  work ;  but  all  of  them  are  stuffed 
with  the  most  erroneous  notions  in  respect  to  Catholicism, 
especially  as  to  what  they  regard  as  the  church's  avidity  for 
civil  dominion.  The  Protestant  who  has  not  a  lurking  idea  that 
Rome  wants  to  run  the  country  is  a  rara  avis.  Speaking  gener- 
ally, it  may  be  said  that  all  the  anti-Catholic  prejudices  which 
are  found  in  the  south  exist  in  the  north  and  are  more  firmly 
rooted.  There  have  been  fewer  conversions  from  Protestant- 
ism in  Canada  than  in  the  United  States — at  least  fewer 
prominent  ones.  We  have  had  no  Brownson  among  the  laity 
and  no  England  in  the  ministry.  The  lines  are  more  closely 
drawn  in  the  north,  and  our  people  have  been  so  long  on  the 
defensive  that  many  of  them  have  forgotten  that  truth  must  of 
necessity  be  aggressive. 

To  my  mind,  the  first  great  mountain  to  be  laid  low  in  Can- 
ada by  the  Apostles  of  the  Press  is  the  indifference  among 
Catholics  themselves  to  distinctively  Catholic  literature  ;  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  there  is  no  more  effective  way  of  levelling 
that  mountain  than  by  establishing  Catholic  Truth  Societies  in 
every  city,  town,  and  hamlet.  The  most  encouraging  signs  of 
the  outlook  are  the  moves  which  have  been  made  in  that  direc- 
tion. But  the  societies  so  far  established  have  not  been  suffi- 
ciently long  in  operation  to  enable  me  to  speak  from  experience  of 
their  effectiveness.  In  Ottawa  a  most  hopeful  beginning  has  been 
made  ;  and  what  has  been  done  in  Ottawa  can  be  done  in  every 
centre  of  population.  The  essential  to  success  is  a  priest  fully 
alive  to  the  needs  of  the  hour,  and  trustful  of  lay  action  in  such 
matters.  To  such  a  priest,  the  Rev.  M.  J.  Whelan,  we  are  in- 
debted for  the  initiation  of  the  movement  which  led  to  the 
establishment  of  the  Catholic  Truth  Society  of  Ottawa.  He 
talked  the  matter  over  with  a  few  laymen  conversant  with  the 
work  done  by  such  societies  in  England  and  in  St.  Paul  ;  the 
subject  was  broached  in  a  paper  read  by  a  brother  of  the  socie- 
ty of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  at  a  quarterly  meeting  of  the  confer- 
ences ;  the  archbishop  gave  his  hearty  approval  and  volunteered 
financial  assistance  ;  a  committee  was  formed  to  draw  up  a  plan 
a  meeting  was  called  by  invitations  sent  through  the  mail ;  and 
the  Catholic  Truth  Society  was  auspiciously  launched  a  few 
weeks  ago  with  Sir  John  Thompson,  the  Minister  of  Justice,  a 
convert  from  Methodism,  in  command  as  president.  The  work 
of  the  society  is  carried  on  by  the  officers  and  an  executive 
committee,  who  met  regularly. 

They  are  taking  action  to  procure  and  place  on  sale  at  differ 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  63 

ent  places  in  the  city  such  of  the  publications  of  the  parent 
society  in  England  and  the  society  in  St.  Paul  as  are  considered 
suitable.  The  conferences  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  are  to  act 
as  auxiliaries  in  distributing  free  literature  among  the  poor. 
Attacks  on  the  church  and  misstatements  of  Catholic  teaching 
are  to  be  dealt  with  in  the  secular  press,  and  a  series  of  free 
musical  and  literary  evenings  are  to  be  given  during  the  winter. 
The  first  of  these  was  given  a  short  while  ago,  and  the  result 
was  such  as  to  augur  well  for  the  success  of  this  branch  of  the  work. 
More  came  than  could  be  seated,  and  there  was  a  sprinkling  of 
Protestants  in  the  audience.  The  president  explained  the  aims  of 
the  society ;  Mr.  Joseph  Pope,  a  convert,  read  an  excellent  paper 
on  some  of  the  erroneous  traditions  of  Protestants  regarding 
the  church,  and  the  archbishop  warmly  commended  the  society 
and  invited  the  men  and  women  present  to  become  members. 
The  daily  papers  contained  reports  of  the  entertainment,  and 
the  journal  which  is  noted  for  its  ultra-Protestantism  devoted  a 
column  to  a  summary  of  the  essay  and  addresses.  It  is  the  in- 
tention to  publish  in  pamphlet  form  and  offer  for  sale  at  cost 
the  papers  read  at  the  entertainments,  as  it  is  thought  that  the 
writings  of  those  locally  well  known  will  find  their  way  into 
places  to  which  the  writings  of  strangers  could  not  penetrate. 

There  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  there  are  many  dif^culties 
to  be  encountered  in  all  such  undertakings.  There  is  an  intense 
conservatism  in  certain  quarters  which  is  very  chary  of  any  new 
movement  ;  many  Catholics  fancy  that  "  tracts  "  are  essentially 
Protestant,  and  that  lay  action  in  church  work  smacks  of  dis- 
senting lay  preaching.  When  the  literary  evenings  were  mooted 
in  our  society  in  Ottawa  a  gentleman,  well  informed  and  practi- 
cal in  the  performance  of  his  religious  duties,  said  to  me :  "  I 
do  not  believe  in  laymen  setting  themselves  up  as  preachers. 
Lecturing  on  religious  subjects  should  be  left  to  the  clergy."  I 
pointed  out  to  him  that  there  was  a  vast  field  in  which  laymen 
could  work  with  great  effect  in  the  dissemination  of  truth,  and 
reminded  him  of  what  laymen  had  done  and  were  oioing  in 
England.  But  he  shook  his  head  and  remarked  that  no  good  could 
come  of  the  move.  The  literary  evenings  were,  however,  au- 
spiciously inaugurated,  and  after  hearing  the  first  paper  the  same 
gentleman  came  to  me  and  said  :  "  That  paper  should  be  pub- 
lished." He  had  forgotten  all  about  his  objections,  and  was 
convinced    that    the  paper  would  be  potent  for  good. 

Hosts  of  objections  vanish  when  the  work  is  begun,  and 
many  objectors  become  zealous  apostles.     Wherever  in  Canada  a 


64  The  Afostolate  of  the  Press. 

priest  is  prepared  to  call  on  the  laity  to  co-operate  in  an  Apos- 
tolate  of  the  Press  he  will  find  many  responses  from  willing 
men  and  women,  some  of  whom  will  become  writers  as  well  as 
propagandists  of  Catholic  literature.  Small,  cheap  doses  of 
Catholic  writings,  put  up  in  the  attractive  way  in  which  the 
publications  of  the  Catholic  Truth  Society  of  England  are,  will 
soon  beget  in  the  laity  a  taste  for  the  wholesome  mental  food 
which  Catholic  writers  have  served  and  are  serving  up  for  Catho- 
lic readers.  In  the  spreading  abroad  among  our  own  of  the 
printed  truth  much  of  it  will,  of  necessity,  find  its  way  to  those 
who  are  not  of  the  household  of  faith  ;  and  the  very  spectacle 
of  Catholic  men  and  women  working  together  in  an  Apostolate 
of  the  Press  will  do  more  to  break  down  the  barriers  which 
shut  out  the  light  from  our  separated  brethren  than  vol- 
umes of  controversy.  The  circulation  of  reading  matter 
among  the  people  will  be  the  most  forcible  refutation  we  can 
make  of  the  absurd  charge,  that  the  church  desires  to  keep  the 
masses  in  ignorance ;  and,  if  we  make  our  own  people  readers 
of  Catholic  publications,  they  will  be  more  likely  to  show  forth 
by  their  fruit  the  truth  and  the  beauty  of  the  faith  they  profess 
and  to  become  bearers  of  light  to  their  neighbors  who  sit  in 
darkness.  In  this  way  a  great  campaign  of  conversion  can  be 
carried  on  in  Canada  through  the  agency  of  the  mighty  press, 
and  what  will  be  said  at  this  Convention  in  regard  to  the  differ- 
ent phases  of  the  work  will  be  as  applicable  to  the  Dominion 
as  to  the  Republic. 

There  is,  after  all,  a  deal  of  similarity  in  the  main  features 
of  the  outlook  to  the  north  and  to  the  south  of  the  boundary 
line.  But  in  Canada  we  are  only  just  beginning — and  beginning 
in  a  small  way — an  organized  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  We  can- 
not bring  to  this  Convention  the  wisdom  born  of  experience. 
We  have  come  to  learn — to  learn  how  to  most  effectively  em- 
ploy the  greatest  human  power  of  the  age  in  the  service  of  God; 
how  to  improve  Catholic  journals,  and  how  best  to  use  them 
and  the  secular  press  for  the  end  in  view  ;  how  to  get  Catholic 
literature  into  the  dwellings  of  the  rich,  the  homes  of  the  work- 
ing-men^  the  apartments  of  the  poor,  and  the  cells  of  our 
prisons ;  and  how  to  use  the  printed  page  as  an  antidote  to  the 
influence  of  the  saloons,  which,  in  Canada  as  in  the  United 
States,  are  largely  manned  by  Catholics,  and  are  the  greatest 
stumbling-blocks  to  our  people.  Some  of  the  seed  scattered 
here  will  be  wafted  to  the  northland,  will  fall  on  good  ground, 
and  will  bring  forth  the  Scriptural  increase. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  65 


SPEAKING  TO  THE  CENTURY. 

letter  from  rev.  william  barry,  d.d. 

Fellow-Catholics  and  Friends: 

It  would  have  given  me  a  long-wished-for  gratification,  had  I 
been  able  to  accept  the  kind  proposal,  which  I  owe,  like  so  much 
other  kindness,  to  Father  Elliott — that  I  should  attend  this  great 
meeting  of  American  Catholic  writers  and  readers.  But  I  am 
kept  in  my  own  corner  by  various  duties  ;  and  will  therefore  ask 
leave  to  submit,  in  such  manner  as  I  may,  a  few  suggestions  on 
the  method  of  our  literary  propaganda.  I  speak  as  to  laymen, 
without  touching,  though  I  should  be  the  last  to  forget  it,  on 
that  obligation  of  directly  explaining  and  inculcating  the  dogmas 
of  the  Faith,  which  is  the  pastor's  prerogative.  Father  Hepker — 
that  illustrious  son  of  the  American  Church — has  called  your 
task  in  literature,  an  Apostolate.  "  He  believed,"  says  his  biog- 
rapher, "in  types,  as  he  believed  in  pulpits."  Let  me  add  to 
this  excellent  saying,  that  the  printing-press  has  become  the 
tallest  pulpit  in  the  world.  It  preaches,  not  once  a  week,  but 
from  day  to  day,  from  hour  to  hour.  The  great  hterary  fact  of 
our  time  is  Journalism.  But  when  I  am  asked  which  is  likely  to 
be  the  most  successful  method  of  exercising  the  Apostolate  to 
which  you  are  called,  I  answer  that  for  a  long  time  it  must  be 
the  iitdirect  method.     And  now  let  me  explain  my  meaning. 

A  Catholic  audience,  numbering  millions,  you  have  in  America. 
And,  though  it  will  be  allowed  that,  from  the  circumstances  of 
their  history,  they  are  not  the  most  given  to  reading  of  Ameri- 
cans, yet  they  do  read  and  will  read.  Most  true.  But  it  does 
not  follow  that  they  will  read,  chiefly  or  entirely,  magazines, 
pamphlets,  and  volumes  addressed  to  themselves  by  their  own 
writers.  If  they  do — as  they  OUGHT — so  much  the  better.  God 
speed  them  on  that  excellent  way!  Judging,  however,  from 
English  experience,  I  must  fear  that  a  publicist  who  depended 
solely  on  his  Catholic  brethren  for  support,  would  run  some  risk 
of  financial  disaster.  From  which  undoubted  fact  I  draw  this 
conclusion,  that  when  a  Catholic  writer  means  to  succeed  in  his 
profession,  and  to  make  a  living  as  well  as  a  name — which  he 
has  every  right  to  do — he  must  widen  his  outlook,  and  turn  like 
others  to  the  general  pubhc.  The  men  and  women  among  us 
5 


66  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

who  have  gained  celebrity,  never  did  so  by  addressing  a  home- 
circle.  In  every  branch  of  literature  we  have  worthy  representa- 
tives. But  when  a  man  succeeds  in  journalism,  romance,  or  phi- 
losophy, he  does  so,  not  simply  as  a  Catholic,  but  on  his  own 
account,  as  recognizable  by  his  genius  or  talent,  and  as  depend- 
ing on  himself  for  the  influence  he  wields. 

Here  I  see  an  opportunity  of  doing  good  on  the  very  largest 
scale.  I  do  not  ask  such  men  to  preach  Christian  dogma  out 
of  season,  or  to  assume  the  ofifice  of  theologians.  But,  leav- 
ing aside  direct  attempts  at  controversy,  how  much  can  they  not 
achieve  by  a  careful  choice  of  materials,  by  sound,  healthy  criti- 
cism of  what  is  deleterious  in  the  prevailing  fashions  of  literature, 
and  by  merely  putting  good  work  in  the  place  of  bad  ?  When 
they  have  the  ear  of  the  public,  they  are,  to  a  remarkable  ex- 
tent, their  own  masters.  For,  note  Avell,  it  is  not  the  millions 
who  insist  on  their  teachers  in  the  daily  and  weekly  press  be- 
coming purveyors  to  them  of  what  is  base  and  corrupting.  The 
demand  has  been  artificially  stimulated  by  the  supply,  not  the 
supply  furnished  on  demand.  Healthy  reading  is  welcomed  by 
those  laboring  classes  which,  as  time  goes  on,  will  prove,  more 
and  more,  to  be  the  best  patrons  of  literature.  No  doubt,  if 
they  are  tempted  with  garbage,  many  of  them  will  be  poisoned. 
But  the  temptation,  I  repeat,  comes  from  the  manufacturer  of 
the  devil's  wares,  and  not  from  the  public.  If  there  is  a  shame 
clinging  to  much  modern  journalism,  it  should  be  laid  at  the 
door  of  the  journalist  and  his  paymaster.  Give  the  people 
wholesome  bread ;  they  will  be  only  too  glad  to  find  the  taste 
of  it  in  their  mouths.     That  is  what  I  believe. 

Moreover,  the  thing  can  be  done.  Vice  is  neither  amusing 
nor  exhilarating.  There  is  nothing  bright  in  the  vulgar,  nau: 
seous  details  which  fill  column  after  column  of  our  miserable 
"  first-class  dailies,"  whose  custom  it  is  to  pollute  the  air  of 
London  and  New  York,  breeding  on  all  sides  a  moral  plague. 
"Yet,"^I  shall  be  reminded,  "they  sell  by  the  hundred  thou- 
sand." Of  course  they  do,  exactly  as  the  vile  furniture,  made 
under  a  sweating  contract  in  the  Curtain  Road  at  the  East  End, 
is  sold  in  fashionable  stores — for  want  of  something  better.  I  do 
not  say  that  this  abomination  can  be  healed  by  direct  preaching. 
But  I  do  say  that  every  one  of  our  journalists  should  set  his 
face  against  it.  Many  of  us  can,  by  using  tact  and  judgment, 
prevent  some  of  the  mischief.  And  all,  if  they  will  keep  their 
own  work  uncontaminated,  may  do  their  share  in  proving  that 
wit  and  wisdom,  in    Lord    Beaconsfield's   happy   phrase,    are  "on 


The  ArosTOLATE  of  the  Press.  67 

the  side  of  the  angels."  They  will  be  helping  on  the  day  of  re- 
form when  journalism  shall  be  no  longer  what  it  now  is — an 
open  sewer,  offensive  to  eye  and  nostril,  the  great  standing  dis- 
grace of  a  reading  age. 

Catholic  writers  abound  in  this  department  ;  and  I  feel  justi- 
fied, therefore,  in  dwelling  on  the  responsibilities  they  incur 
whenever  they  omit  an  occasion  of  withstanding  the  enemy  who 
is  called  Belial,  and  who  now  stalks  abroad  as  though  the  world 
belonged  to  him.  The  command  which  St.  Paul  gave  us  long 
ago  has  not  lost  its  credentials  :  "  Finally,  brethren,  whatsoever 
things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest,  whatsoever  things 
are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are 
lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report,  if  there  be  any 
virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things."  A 
very  precise  definition  of  what  modern  journalism  is  not,  and  of 
what  it  steadfastly  declines  to  be  !  Here,  I  say,  is  occasion  for 
an  Apostolate  ;  nay,  and  if  any  one  have  the  spirit  and  the  cour- 
age, for  deeds  of  martyrdom. 

But  I  have  no  intention  of  decrying  all  current  literature,  as 
though  it  were  hopelessly  tainted.  And  in  the  cheering  assur- 
ance that  God  has  left  Himself  a  witness  among  those  whom  it 
illustrates  and  who  give  it  a  corresponding  worth,  I  would  ask  our 
Catholic  friends  to  cultivate  the  art  of  criticism,  sifting  out  the 
chaff  from  the  wheat,  burning  what  is  evil,  and  spreading  abroad 
whatever  they  find  of  good.  This,  let  me  say,  is  an  undertaking 
as  difficult  as  it  is  necessary.  It  requires  an  extensive  knowledge 
of  modern  modes  of  thought,  combined  with  an  accurate  and 
sure  grasp  of  the  Catholic  teaching.  For  fifty  men  who  have 
learned  their  faith,  and  know  it  thoroughly,  there  may  not  be 
one  who  can  describe  without  mistake  the  relation  of  other 
creeds  to  his  own.  Differences  of  language,  of  bringing  up,  of 
association,  thrust  themselves  in  at  every  step  ;  and  the  hardest 
of  all  things  may  be  to  ascertain  what  precisely  is  the  point  to  be 
argued.  Yet  that  point  will  often  be  of  the  most  vital  consequence. 
Now,  here  is  a  demand  for  what  I  often  call  "  the  gift  of  interpre- 
tation." Merely  to  repeat  the  axioms  and  first  principles  of 
Catholic  tradition,  though  they  contain  revealed  truth  itself,  is 
lost  labor  in  the  province  I  am  considering.  Such  a  method  will 
persuade  nobody  except  those  who  are  already  persuaded.  The 
teaching  must  be  fitted  to  the  mind  which  we  are  bent  upon  en- 
lightening. Yet  it  must  be  so  fitted  as  to  remain  true  and  sound 
Catholic  doctrine.  It  must  be  neither  distorted,  nor  minimized, 
nor    explained  away.      And  when    I    say  "  Catholic    doctrine,"    I 


68  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

include  all  the  truths  of  Theism,  and  the  high  and  beautiful 
philosophy,  whether  of  art  or  of  nature,  implied  in  our  creed  or 
issuing  out  of  it.  You  perceive  at  once  how  promising,  yet  how 
full  of  difificulty,  and  even  of  danger,  is  the  path  to  which  I 
would  direct  your  attention.  It  is  the  time,  not  of  a  seeming 
reconciliation  between  light  and  darkness  ;  but  of  the  dovetailing, 
so  to  speak,  of  new  truths  into  the  old — the  translation  of  Chris- 
tian principles  into  a  language  suited  to  these  times  ;  and  a 
manly,  earnest,  and  generous  effort  to  baptize  the  nineteenth 
century  into  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

The  manner  of  accomplishing  this  enterprise  I  would  term  "se- 
lective criticism."  Not  "  electic,"  observe  ;  for  "  eclecticism  "  is  to 
be  "  carried  about  by  every  wind  of  doctrine,"  discerning  neither  the 
true  nor  the  false.  We,  I  repeat,  have  a  standard  to  go  by  ;  not 
of  our  own  invention,  but  given  to  us  from  on  High.  Therefore, 
we  should  be  able  to  try  all  things,  and  to  judge  them  in  the 
Spirit.  We  are  not  to  be  dazzled,  or  surprised,  or  daunted,  by 
the  glamour  of  knowledge ;  or  by  the  pretentious  philosophies, 
the  Utopian  systems,  that  fill  the  air  with  storm  and  confusion 
to-day.  Ours  is  the  duty,  upon  us  has  the  burden  come  of  turn- 
ing "  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the  children  "  and  of  the  chil- 
dren to  the  fathers ; — of  helping  to  build  up  a  new  world,  on 
the  ruins  of  many  systems  it  may  be,  but  on  the  sure  foundation 
of  a  living  Christian  Church  that  cannot  be  ruined.  Is  there  a 
social  ideal,  a  more  humane  inspiration,  beginning  to  shape 
society  anew  ?  The  home  of  all  true  ideals  is  the  Catholic 
Church.  Do  we  hear  of  the  millions  coming  up,  at  last,  into  the 
place  of  self-government,  crying  for  light  and  food,  asking  why 
their  daily  toil  is  not  sweetened  by  justice  and  the  sense  of 
brotherhood  ?  They  are  the  millions  of  a  people  who  should  be 
our  own ;  and  to  whom  we  can  offer  a  Gospel  of  salvation, 
social  no  less  than  spiritual,  able  to  lift  them  up  and  give  them 
the  best  things  in  this  world  as  in  the  next.  But  we  must  un- 
derstand them,  feel  with  them,  and — not  fear  them  at  all ! 

Understand  them  ?  It  is  the  first  and  last  word.  No  great 
literature  has  ever  existed  which  did  not  come  out  of  the  peo- 
ple's hearts.  By  contact  with  life  alone  is  it  possible  to  live. 
Literature  is  not  a  thing  of  libraries,  class-rooms,  or  lecture-halls, 
which  only  the  select  attend.  When  it  has  lasting  value,  it  is 
the  expression  of  thought  too  wide  and  high  and  simple  for  any 
clique  or  coterie  to  have  inspired  it.  The  writing  of  which  we 
are  in  need  may  take  any  form  it  will,  provided  that  it  is  alive ; 
no  mere    rehearsal  of  dead   words,  no    copying  of    yesterday,    no 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  69 

talking  down  as  to  a  childish  intelligence,  no  stupid  reiteration 
of  sentimentalities  addressed  to  the  weak-minded  and  the  im- 
pressionable. It  must  ever  aim  at  good  sense  ;  and  test  itself  by 
the  classics  of  the  world.  We  do  not  want  a  provincial,  petty, 
and  flimsy  literature,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  deserv- 
edly cast  into  the  oven.  K,  when  we  turn  to  our  own  publica- 
tions, they  fall  below  the  common  level  of  good  work  outside, 
let  us  rather  take  shame  to  ourselves,  and  mend  our  ways,  than 
foolishly  imagine  that  it  is  by  the  grace  of  God  that  we  are  not 
like  other  men.  We  should  be  exacting  in  our  demands  on  all 
who  write  for  us,  on  condition,  however,  that  we  remember  to 
be  just  and  generous  in  our  recompense  to  them.  The  Catholic 
writer  may  as  fairly  claim  to  live  by  his  toil  as  the  priest  who 
ministers  at  the  altar.  His  duty  is  not  the  same,  but  it  is  sacred 
and  religious  in  the  truest  sense.  Only  let  him  measure  it, 
no  longer  by  the  small  requisitions  made  upon  him  from  within, 
but  by  the  wants  of  the  age,  and  by  the  endless  resources  of  a 
church  that  has  lived  from  the  days  of  the  Roman  Empire  to 
those  of  expanding  and  victorious  Democracy. 

My  contention  is  that  we  should  speak  and  write  as  to  the 
larger  world.  W^e  are  debtors  to  all  men,  and  must  use  style, 
language,  and  reasoning  so  as  to  be  "  understanded  of  the 
people. "  Our  message  is  for  to-day.  It  has  not  grown  old  or 
obsolete  ;  neither  will  it  yield  in  power  and  promise  to  the  often- 
times vaporous  announcements  of  latter-day  prophets,  who  have 
coined  theories  out  of  their  brains,  but  never  known  how  to  gov- 
ern a  single  human  creature — not  even  themselves.  By  an  extra- 
ordinary good  fortune,  w^e  Catholics  have  possessed  the  greatest 
master  of  English  prose  that  ever  lived — I  need  not  say  that  I 
mean  John  Henry  Cardinal  Newman.  Do  we  at  all  fashion 
ourselves  on  the  pattern  he  has  left  us  ?  Do  we  cultivate — I 
forbear  to  say,  imitate,  which  is  a  lesser  thing, — but  do  we  cul- 
tivate the  spirit  of  just  discernment,  the  delicate  sympathy,  the 
exquisite  and  subtle  tact,  the  devotion  to  high  aims  and  the 
deep  sincerity  of  thought,  which  gave  him  so  wonderful  a  charm 
in  the  eyes  of  his  countrymen  ?  Genius,  to  be  sure,  is  no  in- 
heritance ;  still,  we  can  learn  something  of  its  methods,  and  en- 
deavor to  practise  what  we  learn.  It  signified  little  whether 
Cardinal  Newman  was  handling  a  sacred  or  a  secular  theme  ;  at 
all  times  he  captivated  his  readers  by  the  spirit  that  was  in 
him.  The  atmosphere  refreshed  them ;  the  lovely  light  showed 
them  a  w'orld  to  which  many  w^ould  have  been  otherwise  for 
ever  insensible.     His   methods  were    constantly  indirect  ;  but   the 


70  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

music  was  in  that  subduing  key  which  the  heart  knows  not  how 
to  resist.  Neither  was  it  the  priest  or  the  cardinal  who  wrought 
these  great  things ;  it  was  the  MAN.  For  hterature  is,  in  its 
very  essence,  personal  and  individual.  Its  power  will  not  be 
permanently  enhanced  by  station  or  title,  or  anything  else  beside 
its  own  magic.  In  this  sense,  all  who  attempt  literary  work  are 
laymen  ;  and  one  may  truly  speak  of  the  "  Republic  of  Letters." 
Rest  assured  that  in  the  long  run  it  is  a  man's  own  personality 
which  tells,  and  only  that ;  his  living  knowledge  of  "  whatsoever 
things  are  true,  and  just,  and  lovely,  and  of  good  report."  The 
vapid  or  unclean  journalism  sells  for  a  day  or  a  week  ;  it  sells, 
but  it  does  not  last.  Truth  prevails,  and  men  are  tired  at  last 
of  the  lying  fictions  dinned  into  their  ears,  though  all  the  adver- 
tisements of  all  the  quacks  sing  their  praise  without  ceasing. 

If,  as  we  believe  on  such  strong  and  tried  grounds,  there  is 
no  salvation  for  mankind  except  by  returning  to  the  New  Tes- 
tament, here  is  the  task  of  literature — so  to  let  its  light  shine 
before  men,  in  all  hues  of  beauty  and  graciousness,  that  the 
multitude  may  be  charmed,  persuaded,  and  taught  the  readiest 
way  of  making  it  a  reality  in  their  life  and  business.  The  Cath- 
olic Saints  have  understood,  each  in  his  day,  how  to  take  to 
themselves  the  three  great  possessions  of  the  ancient  world, 
Roman  Law,  Greek  Philosophy,  and  the  divine  oracles  of  the  He- 
brew people.  There  are  three  great  modern  possessions — Sci- 
ence, Literature,  and  Democracy.  Who  will  show  us  the  good 
in  them,  and  teach  us  to  overcome  their  evil?  Who  will  enter 
into  their  Providential  meaning,  discern  their  true  aim  and  scope, 
bring  them  to  the  threshold  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  render 
them  fit  for  baptism,  for  consecration  to  the  service  of  God  and 
the  brethren?  Those  who  do  will  be  the  men  of  their  time — 
neither  retrograde,  nor  obscurantist,  nor  falsely  liberal.  They  will 
have  the  eyes  of  their  understanding  enlightened,  and  their  ears 
open  to  the  Divine  message,  early  and  late.  They  will  be  the 
Catholic  students  of  science,  tlie  masters  in  literature,  the  guides 
in  politics  whom  we  should  pray  for.  I  believe  that  literature 
is  a  noble  calling,  though  disgraced  by  charlatans  and  time-serv- 
ers. I  am  sure  that  it  was  meant  to  be  now,  as  heretofore,  a 
champion  and  auxiliary  of  the  faith  we  all  hold  dear.  I  see 
that  if  any  man  gives  himself  to  it  loyally,  "not  seeking  his 
own, "  he  may  expect  much  trouble,  vexation,  and  hindrance, 
even  from  those  who  should  know  him  better.  Yet,  if  I  were 
called  upon  to  say  which  is  the  most  effective  way  of  serving 
God's    cause    in    our   time,    I    should    answer   without    hesitation, 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  71 

that  the  Age  of  Reading  has  come,  and  that  he  who  would 
preach  the  Cathohc  Truth  must  write  it — but  write  it  for  the 
multitude,  and  make  himself  understood  by  them.  What  the 
millions  need  is  to  be  taught  ;  and  what  every  one  needs  who 
undertakes  to  teach  them,  is  that  gift  of  sympathy  without 
which  his  doctrine  will  fall  on  deaf  ears.  Because  modern  liter- 
ature must  be  democratic,  it  ought  to  be  Christian. 

So  to  endeavor  that  it  may  become  the  fitting  expression  of 
a  noble  Christian  commonwealth  is,  I  doubt  not,  your  loftiest 
ambition  ;  as  it  is,  most  assuredly,  your  appointed  task. 

William  Barry. 

Dorchester,  near  Oxford,  England. 


LETTER  FROM  JAMES  BRITTEN,  ESQ., 

secretary  of  the  catholic  truth  society  of  england. 

18  West  Square,  London,  S.  E., 

Christmas  Day,   1891. 
My  dear  Father  Elliott: 

I  am  extremely  sorry  that  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  accept 
the  invitation  you  so  kindly  send  me  to  take  part  in  the  Conven- 
tion of  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press,  which  you  are  so  fittingly 
holding  on  the  Feast  of  the  Epiphany.  But  at  this  time  of  year 
it  is  not  possible  for  me  to  leave  England.  I  hope,  however,  so 
far  as  your  own  warm  offer  of  hospitality  is  concerned,  the  ac- 
ceptance of  your  invitation  may  be  only  a  deferred  pleasure. 

I  should  regret  my  inability  to  come  the  less,  were  I  able  to 
comply  in  anything  like  an  adequate  manner  with  your  request 
that  I  should  write  a  paper  to  be  read  at  your  Convention.  But 
I  am  so  occupied  with  many  things  that  this  again  is  not  possi- 
ble. I  will,  therefore,  in  this  letter  state  informally  such  facts  as 
it  seems  to  me  may  interest  you,  and  if  you  think  it  well  to 
read  my  letter  to  the  Convention,  the  Cathohc  Truth  Society 
— which  I  in  some  way,  however  unworthily,  represent — will,  I  am 
sure,  be  grateful  for  your  consideration. 

The  Catholic  Truth  Society  in  its  present  form  had  a  very 
humble  beginning.  Some  twenty-three  years  ago  a  body  bear- 
ing the  name  was  organized  by  the  exertions  of  Dr.  Herbert 
Vaughan,  who  now,  as  Bishop  of  Salford,  presides  over  the  exist 


72  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

ing  society.  But,  owing  to  a  variety  of  circumstances,  this  origi- 
nal organization  had  died  away,  and  the  present  body  took  its 
rise  quite  independently  of  it. 

In  1883  I  went  into  a  High-Church  bookshop  and  bought 
half-a-crown's  worth  of  their  cheap  religious  publications.  These 
I  took  to  my  friend,  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Cologan,  who  has  been  as- 
sociated with  me  from  the  first  in  the  work  of  the  society,  and 
we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  something  in  the  same  direction 
ought  to  be  attempted  by  Catholics.  We  found  among  our 
friends  several  who  held  the  same  view ;  and  about  twelve  of  us 
put  down  £\  apiece,  to  see  what  could  be  done.  With  this  we 
brought  out  the  first  issue  of  the  Little  Rosary  Book,  of 
which  up  to  the  present  time  some  sixty  thousand  have  been 
printed.  The  card  of  "  Morning  and  Night  Prayers  for  those 
having  little  time,"  which  had  been  originally  compiled  for  a 
Boys'  Club,  was  also  put  into  circulation,  and  a  similar  card  of 
"  Prayers  for  Confession  for  little  children."  No  especial  trouble 
was  taken  to  gain  the  support  of  great  persons,  but  the  late 
Bishop  of  Southwark  (Dr.  Coffin)  at  once  expressed  his  sympa- 
thy with  the  work,  and  helped  us  by  what  in  those  days  seemed 
very  large  orders  for  our  publications.  At  this  time  we  had  no 
name ;  but,  having  written  to  the  Bishop  of  Salford,  whose  work 
in  connection  with  popular  Catholic  literature  is  too  well  known 
to  need  more  than  a  reference,  his  lordship  invited  me  to  Sal- 
ford,  to  talk  the  matter  over.  He  proposed  that  the  old  name 
of  "The  Catholic  Truth  Society"  should  be  revived;  that  means 
should  be  taken  to  draw  the  attention  of  Catholics  in  general  to 
the  work ;  and  that  a  circular  letter  should  be  drawn  up  and 
sent  to  the  clergy  and  others  likely  to  interest  themselves  in  it. 
He  also  expressed  his  willingness  to  become  president  of  the 
society,  and  to  use  his  influence  in  making  it  known.  On  No- 
vember 5,  1884,  a  meeting  was  held  at  Lady  Herbert's,  under 
the  presidency  of  Bishop  Vaughan,  at  which  the  revival  of  the 
Catholic  Truth  Society  was  resolved  upon,  and  various  schemes 
for  the  furthering  of  its  work  were  debated,  the  annual  subscrip- 
tion being  fixed  at   \os. 

For  some  time  the  progress  of  the  society  was  slow,  and  the 
publications  were  limited.  I  was  enabled  to  accommodate  the 
whole  of  them  in  my  own  house,  and  to  carry  on  the  whole 
work  of  the  society  with  very  slight  help.  In  February,  1887, 
however,  the  stock  grew  beyond  my  narrow  limits,  and  the^ 
premises  now  occupied  by  the  society  were  taken.  The  society 
received  the  approval  of  the  Holy  Father  and  the  support  of  the 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  73 

English  hierarchy,  as  well  as  of  many  foreign  bishops,  and  of 
the  great  Cardinal  Newman,  who  from  the  first  warmly  befriended 
us,  and  whose  last  public  utterance  was  addressed  to  a  deputa- 
tion of  our  members. 

The  objects  of  the  society  are  briefly  stated  as  follows  : 

1.  To  disseminate  among  Catholics  small  and  cheap  devotional 
works. 

2.  To  assist  the  uneducated  poor  to  a  better  knowledge  of 
their   religion. 

3.  To  spread  among  Protestants  information  about  Catholic 
truth. 

4.  To  promote  the  circulation  of  good,  cheap,  and  popular 
Catholic  works. 

This,  however,  is  a  condensed  form  of  the  original  prospec- 
tus ;  and  as  the  latter  explains  our  aims  more  fully,  I  venture  to 
give  it : 

1.  To  disseminate  among  Catholics  small  and  cheap  devotional 
works.  There  is  always  a  demand  for  such  publications  in  every 
congregation,  if  they  can  be  had  cheaply  and  are  ready  to  hand. 
At  the  time  of  a  retreat  or  mission,  hundreds  or  even  thou- 
sands of  them  might  be  taken  by  the  people. 

2.  To  assist  the  uneducated  poor  to  a  better  knowledge  of 
their  religion.  Most  Catholics  are  attacked  from  time  to  time 
by  the  sneers  or  objections  of  Protestants,  and  too  often  have 
no  answer  ready.  If  their  own  faith  is  not  weakened,  their  in- 
ability to  state  or  defend  the  church's  doctrine  does  harm  to 
others.  It  is  also  desirable  to  furnish  Catholic  artisans  in  the 
great  centres  of  industry  with  answers  to  the  rationalistic  and  in- 
fidel theories  which  are  constantly  the  subject  of  conversation 
among  men  employed  in  factories  and  workshops.  For  the  bene- 
fit of  these  classes,  we  propose  to  issue  a  number  of  pamphlets 
and  leaflets  to  help  them  to  withstand  attack,  and  to  give  them 
a  better  knowledge  of  their  religion. 

3.  To  spread  among  Protestants  information  about  Catholic 
truth.  Prejudice  and  error  are  still  universal  among  the  English 
poor,  but  there  are  many  who  would  readily  accept  the  teaching 
of  the  church,  were  they  not  so  utterly  misinformed  respecting 
it.  While  the  Religious  Tract  Society  and  other  similar  bodies 
spread  their  misleading  publications  with  untiring  energy,  Catho- 
lics do  little  in  this  way  to  make  known  the  claims  of  the  Church 
of  God,  and  to  destroy  the  absurd  notions  respecting  her  that 
Protestant  tradition  has  handed  down.  Short  papers  or  leaflets 
with  striking  titles,  containing  a  summary  of    doctrine  or   concise 


74  The  Afostolate  of  the  Pfess. 

replies  to  popular  objections,  would  be  eagerly  read  by  Protes- 
tants if  distributed  among  them  or  given  away  at  the  doors  be- 
fore or  after  anti-Catholic    lectures,  etc. 

4.  To  promote  the  circulation  of  the  good,  cheap,  and  popu- 
lar Catholic  works  which  already  exist,  many  of  them  being  at 
present  almost  unknown,  and  to  take  notice  of  similar  books  as 
they  appear. 

It  would  occupy  too  much  of  your  time  did  I  attempt  to 
show  how  far  these  objects  have  been  carried  out.  I  am  send- 
ing by  this  mail  a  large  number  of  our  publications,  with  several 
catalogues  for  distribution,  and  we  shall,  of  course,  be  glad  to 
forward  any  further  information  which  may  be  desired.  It  will 
be  seen  from  our  list  that,  while  combating  error,  we  have  not 
neglected  to  provide  for  our  own  people  ;  and  the  large  and  con- 
stantly increasing  support  which  we  receive,  not  only  at  home 
but  in  the  colonies,  shows  that  our  efforts  in  both  directions 
have  not  been  unsuccessful.  Our  simple  prayer-book,  for  ex- 
ample, published  at  a  penny,  is  in  its  two-hundreth  thousand, 
and  many  other  publications  have  had  a  large  sale.  This  is  es- 
pecially the  case  with  our  controversial  leaflets,  which,  largely 
through  the  agency  of  the  Guild  of  Ransom,  have  been  distributed 
broadcast  at  Protestant  and  anti-Catholic  meetings. 

Besides  their  sale  as  independent  pamphlets,  most  of  our 
publications  have  been  bound  up  in  shilling  volumes,  either  in  a 
connected  series — such  as  biographies,  tales,  etc. — or  in  volumes 
of  miscellaneous  reading.  These  last,  of  which  we  have  now  fif- 
teen, are  especially  popular,  and  we  have  sold  nearly  forty-three 
thousand  of  them. 

In  addition  to  its  work  of  publication  and  distribution,  the 
society  has  inaugurated  other  important  movements,  the  most  im- 
portant of  which  is  the  Annual  Catholic  Conference.  Four  of 
these  conferences  have  been  held,  with  the  approval  and  per- 
sonal co-operation  of  the  cardinal  and  the  bishops,  and  in  this 
way  Catholics  have  been  brought  together  to  an  extent  never 
previously  attempted. 

By  the  formation  of  local  branches,  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
much  work  has  been  done  in  the  way  of  visiting  hospitals,  work- 
houses, and  infirmaries;  a  report  of  one  such  branch  accom- 
panies this  letter.  We  have  sought  to  co-operate  in  every  way 
with  kindred  organizations,  both  at  home  and  abroad  ;  and  it  is 
my  earnest  hope  that  the  New  York  Convention,  recognizing  this 
wish,  will  reciprocate  it,  and  that  a  cordial  co-operation  between 
us  will  be  one  outcome  of  your  meeting. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  75 

If  it  did  not  seem  like  an  impertinence,  I  would  add  a  word 
of  encouragement  to  you  in  your  work ;  but  it  is  not  needed. 
Yet  I  may  say,  and  I  wish  to  say  it  as  strongly  as  possible,  how 
heartily  we  sympathize  with  your  efforts,  which  have  so  much  in 
common  with  our  own,  but  which  are  bestowed  upon  a  field 
which  we  cannot  hope  to  reach,  the  vastness  of  which  will  afford 
ample  scope  for,  and  will  indeed  demand,  the  most  energetic  ex- 
ertions on  your  part.  There  can  be  no  rivalry  in  our  work  ;  the 
aims  of  each  body  is  to  do  all  the  good  it  can,  and  the  vast  re- 
sources of  error  of  all  kinds  can  only  be  met  by  the  most  stren- 
uous efforts. 

If  in  any  way  we  can  promote  or  co-operate  with  the  work 
which  you  are  undertaking,  it  will  be  a  keen  gratification  to  us 
to  do  so.  I  will  venture  to  conclude  this  letter  with  some  words 
of  our  president,  which  will,  I  am  sure,  find  an  echo  in  your 
hearts. 

"We  are  in  the  age  of  the  Apostolate  OF  THE  PRESS.  It 
can  penetrate  where  no  Catholic  can  enter.  It  can  do  its  work 
as  surely  for  God  as  for  the  devil.  It  is  an  instrument  in  our 
hands. 

"All  should  take  part  in  this  Apostolate;  here,  at  least,  there 
is  work  for  every  one.  For  ten  who  can  write,  ten  thousand 
can  subscribe,  and  a  hundred  thousand  can  scatter  the  seed. 
For  this  purpose,  under  the  patronage  of  the  hierarchy,  and 
richly  indulgenced  by  the  Holy  See,  the  Catholic  Truth  Society 
has  been  founded  by  a  number  of  priests  and  laymen.  It  is  al- 
ready doing  good  work ;  but  the  good  work  ought  to  be  multi- 
plied through  every  town  and  mission,  not  in  England  only,  but 
throughout  the  British  Empire.  It  instructs,  edifies,  and  amuses  ; 
it  educates  and  evangelizes  Catholics  and  non-Catholics.  It  will 
become  an  engine  of  gigantic  power  in  the  service  of  God,  if  our 
men  and  women  have  in  them  only  the  hearts  and  wills  to  be- 
come apostles. 

"  Say  not  that  to  scatter  books,  pamphlets,  tracts,  and  leaf- 
lets is  waste  and  loss,  if  you  have  but  a  grain  of  faith  in  the 
Gospel  parable  of  the  sower.  God  himself,  with  bountiful  hand, 
is  always  sowing  his  grace  over  the  world  of  men  ;  and  what  is 
the  history  of  his  sowing?  Is  greater  fruit  to  spring  up  under 
the  hand  of  the  servant  than  of  the  Master?  But  for  every 
effort  we  make  there  is  an  eternal  reward. 

"We  need  writers,  a  multitude  of  subscribers,  and  a  number- 
less body  of  men  and  women  sowing  and  scattering  the  truth 
wherever    English    is    read    or    spoken.     This    means    zeal,    time, 


^6  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

labor,  and,  we  may  add,  humility,  for  the  work  has  not  the 
apparent  dignity  of  debates  on  public  questions  and  passing  re- 
solutions, though  it  will  be  at  least  as  certain  of  its  spiritual  re- 
sults." 

With  kind    regards    and    every  good  wish    for    the    success    of 
the  Convention, 

Believe  me,  dear  Father  Elliott, 
Yours  truly, 

James  Britten, 
Hon.  Sec.  C.   T.  S. 


MENDING  OLD  ROADS  AND  MAKING  NEW  ONES. 

BY    MISS   KATHERINE   E.    CONWAY,    OF   THE   BOSTON   "  PILOT." 

"  The  newspaper,"  said  a  literary  man  to  a  friend  the  other 
day,  "  is  the  lowest  form  of  intellectual  expression." 

"  It  bears  the  relation  to  literature  that  sign-painting  does  to 
art,"  supplemented  another. 

Yet  when  either  of  these  has  an  idea  which  he  desires  quick- 
ly and  thoroughly  disseminated,  he  chooses  the  medium  of  the 
newspaper  rather  than  that  of  the  book. 

The  intellectual  patrician  may  affect  to  despise  the  newspa- 
per, but  he  can  hardly  dispense  with  it.  And  it  is  the  mental 
daily  bread  of  the  masses.  It  is  almost  the  strongest  force  in 
the  formation  of  the  opinions,  social,  political,  religious,  of  the 
average  man. 

But  Christ  died  for  the  average  man.  What  are  we  here 
for,  members  of  the  APOSTOLATE  OF  the  Press,  but  to  get 
at  the  most  effective  methods  of  bringing  the  printed  truth  to 
the  average  man  ?  Shall  the  children  of  this  world  be  for  ever 
wiser  in  their  generation  than  the  children  of  light  ?  The  pro- 
phets and  apostles  of  every  remedy  or  quackery  for  the  material 
ills  of  the  body  social,  the  propagandists  of  every  fleeting  "  fad  " 
or  "  ism,"  seize  first  on  the  newspaper  press.  Is  not  this  readiest, 
most  widely  extending  medium  just  as  available  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  truth  ?  What  use  are  we  making  of  it  ?  Can  we 
honestly  assert  that  we  are  making  all  the  use   we  can  of  it  ? 

"  Newspaper "  now  means,  properly  speaking,  only  the  daily 
paper.     But    the    term    still    seems    to    be    used    loosely   to  cover 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  .  yy 

everything  in  the  shape  of  a  periodical  that  is  not  a  monthly 
magazine  or  a  quarterly.  And  though  the  daily  press  affords 
the  most  and  the  shortest  roads,  all  other  publications,  too, 
can  be  made  to  yield  paths  for  the  progress  of  the  printed 
truth. 

The  Apostles  of  the  Press,  I  take  it,  aim  first" at  strengthening 
the  faith  of  practical  Catholics  ;  second,  at  brightening  or  re- 
kindling it  in  those  Catholic  souls  in  which  it  is  dimmed  or 
extinguished  ;  third,  at  bringing  it  in  its  full  and  heart-attracting 
radiance  before  the  non-Catholic  public. 

The  first  part  of  our  mission  would  be  naturally  accomplished 
through  the  Catholic  press.  Here  is  an  old  road,  contempora- 
neous at  least  with  the  Erie,  by  which  the  gospel  of  printed 
truth  has  long  been  travelling.  It  was  begun  when  Bishop  Eng- 
land started  his  United  States  Catholic  Miscellany  over  sixty 
years   ago. 

In  what  condition  is  this  old  road  to-day  ?  The  Catholic  Mis- 
cellany is  only  of  blessed  memory.  Boston  has  had  a  Catholic 
paper  for  precisely  sixty  years.  The  veteran  Catholic  papers  of 
New  York,  Cincinnati,  and  Pittsburgh  have  each  passed  their 
fiftieth  birthday.     So  much  for  pioneer  road-building. 

We  have  now  in  the  United  States  about  seventy-five  Catho- 
lic weeklies.  Their  combined  circulation  cannot  much  exceed 
three  hundred  thousand.  Their  readers  may,  perhaps,  be  repre- 
sented by  five  times  this  figure.  We  are  speaking  only  of  jour- 
nals published  in  the  language  of  our  country.  Wherever 
Catholics  of  German  origin  are  numerous,  there  is  a  German 
Catholic  weekly  ;  and  be  it  remembered,  the  only  Catholic  daily 
in  the  United  States  is  the  German  Amerika  of  St.  Louis. 

We  have  but  one  magazine  devoted  to  general  literature — 
The  Catholic  World.  Of  the  others,  one  is  purely  ecclesiastical, 
one  appeals  directly  to  the  Catholics  of  Irish  blood,  another  is 
the  organ  of  a  Catholic  educatioi  al  union  ;  the  rest  are  declared 
exponents  of  special  devotions,  with  literary  features  added,  less 
for  the  sake  of  literature  than  for  the  chance  to  present  in 
poem  or  story  a  new  aspect  of  the  devotion. 

In  one  point  we  American  Catholics  are  ahead  of  the  Eng- 
lish Catholics.  We  have  a  splendid  review,  the  America?!  Catho- 
lic Quarterly.  But  the  bulk  of  our  weekly  journals  are  inferior 
to  theirs.  We  have  nothing,  for  example,  quite  so  good  as  the 
London  Tablet,  which,  aside  from  its  detestable  politics,  is  one 
of  the  best-edited  publications  in  the  language.  We  have  not 
more    than    two    papers    in    line  with    Wilfrid    Meynell's    London 


78  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

Register ;  few  papers  better  than  the  Liverpool  Catholic  Times, 
or  the  Catholic  News  of  Preston,  England — few,  indeed,  so  uni- 
formly good. 

Why?  Once  generally,  and  still  to  some  extent  locally,  the 
comparative  poverty  of  the  body  Catholic  might  be  fairly  offered 
in  explanation.  Our  Catholic  population  has,  however,  greatly 
strengthened  within  the  past  four  decades.  It  has  financial,  po- 
litical, social,  intellectual  influence.  The  great  secular  publishing 
houses,  the  daily  press,  have  to  take  it  into  account.  But  does 
the  distinctly  Catholic  press  adequately  represent  Catholic 
advance  ? 

If  this  Convention  were  merely  a  pleasant  social  gathering, 
properly  devoted  to  interchange  of  compliments  and  the  passing 
of  idle  but  well-sounding  resolutions—"  resolving  that  which  is 
not,  and  considering  it  even  as  done  " — chief  object  of  a  conven- 
tion, according  to  the  observant  Donna  Catalina  in  the  Knight 
Errant  of  the  Foot-Hills — it  would  be  in  order  to  answer  in  the 
affirmative  ;  nay,  more,  to  boast  of  the  progress  of  the  Catholic 
press.  But  it  would  ill  become  apostles  of  the  printed  truth  to 
plan  a  missionary  campaign  on  a  basis  of  pleasant  falsehoods. 
So,  we  may  as  well  admit  that  the  American  Catholic  press  is 
not  a  very  wonderful  affair,  and  that  a  large  part  of  the  Catho- 
lic public  are  apathetic  on  the  question  of  a  Catholic  press  at 
all. 

We  are  not  forgetting  the  dif^culties  of  our  beginnings,  nor 
the  missionary  service  which  the  pioneer  Catholic  newspapers 
rendered  in  keeping  the  faith  alive — and,  not  seldom,  in  making 
converts  to  the  faith — in  the  towns  and  villages  and  frontier  set- 
tlements which  a  priest  rarely  reached,  simply  by  disseminating 
sound  instruction  in  the  essentials  of  Catholic  belief  and  prac- 
tice. The  Catholic  press  of  that  early  day,  humble  as  it  was, 
was  a  most  effective  ally  of  the  Catholic  pulpit.  This  is  what 
the  CathoHc  press  of  this  more  fortunate  day  should  be,  but  on  a 
far  grander  scale.  The  Catholic  journal  should  be  the  best 
helper  of  the  priest  in  disseminating  and  strengthening  sound 
Catholic  principles — not  by  usurping  the  functions  of  the  pulpit  ; 
no  longer  by  simply,  or  even  largely,  reproducing  the  pulpit ; 
but  by  informing  every  feature  that  goes  to  make  up  a  good, 
readable  paper — good  from  the  severely  professional  stand-point — 
with  Catholic  life  and  light.  This  is  what  we  all  want  to  do, 
what  we  all  mean  to  do  ;  but  how  remotely  in  .most  cases  do  we 
approximate  our  ideal ! 

We  gladly  admit    that    Catholic    papers    have    advanced,  espe- 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  79 

cially  within  the  past  twenty  years,  in  numbers,  in  resources,  in 
tone  and  temper.  Perhaps  it  was  in  repelling  the  rough  ag- 
gressions of  the  common  enemy  that  we  acquired  the  roughness 
which  once  characterized  our  intercourse  with  one  another.  Any 
Catholic  journalist  of  even  fifteen  years'  experience  can  remem- 
ber when  a  prominent  feature  of  the  average  Catholic  journal 
was  the  warfare  which  the  editor  was  waging  on  some  Catholic 
brother  editor  with  a  directness,  vigor,  and  amplitude  of  personal 
abuse  hardly  to  be  matched  outside  of  the  Arizona  Kicker. 

We  have  collectively — there  are,  of  course,  rare  instances  of 
the  survival  of  the  unfittest — outgrown  all  that.  We  owe  much 
to  the  courteous  examples  of  the  lamented  John  Boyle  O'Reilly 
and  Valentine  Hickey.  We  quarrel  a  little  still,  it  is  true,  but 
it  is  generally  about  methods,  and  not  with  men  ;  and  one  Catho- 
lic editor  may  have  a  sharp  controversy  with  another  over  the 
extent  of  the  state's  right  in  popular  education,  for  example, 
without  challenging  his  veracity,  or  indulging  in  bitter  allusions 
to  his  mysterious  and  guilty  past. 

We  have  also  numerously  left  behind  the  day  when  the 
Catholic  journal  stafT  was  composed  of  an  able-bodied  man  and 
a  pair  of  scissors.  Though  it  is  doubtful  if  recklessly  made  up 
boiler-plate  matter  be  an  improvement  on  the  harmless,  necessary 
shears,  yet  in  many  cases  we  have  not  to  choose  between  them, 
but  are  justified  in  modest  allusions  to  assistant  editors  and 
paid  correspondents. 

All  this  is  good  so  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  goes  a  pitifully  little 
way.  We  must  not  despise  the  day  of  small  things,  but  neither 
must  we  rest  in  it,  especially  when  it  is  also  the  day  of  great 
needs. 

Making  the  most  of  our  gains,  is  it  not  true  that  a  large  pro- 
portion of  our  Catholic  papers  are  still  poor  affairs — exercising 
no  influence  at  all  on  contemporary  secular  thought,  and  little 
even  on  Catholic  thought  ?  They  are  apologized  for  by  the  cul- 
tivated and  fastidious  Catholic — who  forgets  that  he  has  a  re- 
sponsibility in  the  matter.  They  are  grudgingly  patronized  in  a 
spirit  of  alms-giving  by  well-to-do  Catholics,  who  often  boast  that 
they  don't  read  them !  How  many  households  of  indifferent 
Catholics  there  are  where  the  absence  of  all  Catholic  papers  is 
defended — unjustly,  of  course — by  some  dismal  experiment  in  local 
Catholic  journalism. 

Catholic  papers  of  this  sort  are  only  by-ways  for  the  Gospel 
of  the  printed  truth.  How  can  we  straighten  them,  broaden  them, 
make  of  them  well-macadamized    thoroughfares,    over    which    the 


8o  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

messenger  of  good  tidings  shall  go  briskly,  welcomed  at  every 
door  ? 

But  all  along  the  line  of  Catholic  journals  there  is  room  for 
improvement.  We  owe  our  faithful  subscribing  Catholics,  to 
whom  it  is  due  that  there  is  a  Catholic  press  at  all,  better  papers. 
Too  long  has  the  duty  to  subscribe  been  urged,  without  a  word 
about  the  right  of  the  subscriber  to  get  the  worth  of  his  money. 
There  has  been  too  much  editorial  talking  down  to  the  reader. 
Study  the  rapid  increase  of  Catholic  schools  of  every  grade,  the 
multiplication  of  refined  Catholic  homes,  the  growing  prominence 
of  our  young  men  and  women  in  intellectual  avocations ;  and 
consider  if  it  does  not  beseem  us  to  talk  up  and  not  down  to 
our  constituencies.  There  has  been  too  much  of  this  attitude 
to  the  people :  "  You  should  support  the  Catholic  paper  anyhow 
—because  it's  Catholic."  The  Catholic  press  has  been  pleaded 
for — even  before  so  dignified  a  body  as  the  Catholic  Congress  of 
1889 — as  if  it  were  an  orphan  asylum. 

Now,  the  Catholic  press  is  an  Apostolate,  but  an  Apostolate 
which  to  be  effective,  especially  when  it  is  exercised  by  lay 
people,  must  be  conducted  on  sound  business  principles.  Let 
us  mend  our  old  roads  ! 

Road-mending  costs  money.  Few  Catholic  papers  are  em- 
barrassed by  their  surplus.  I  know  of  but  one  weekly  paper 
under  Catholic  management  which  employs  a  nearly  adequate 
staff ;  pays  its  editors  the  salaries  they  could  earn  on  a  high- 
class  secular  paper,  and  makes  a  regular  feature  of,  not  simply 
news  letters  but  paid  literary  contributors,  including  even  the 
poets. 

The  Paulist  Fathers  could  not  give  us  a  magazine  in  line, 
from  the  literary  stand-point,  with  the  best  secular  magazines, 
and  liberal  payment  to  contributors,  if  the  editors  and  business 
managers  didn't  do  their  work  for  nothing.  The  excellent  pub- 
lications of  the  Jesuits,  Dominicans,  and  Fathers  of  the  Holy 
Cross  have  been  possible  only  through  the  free  labor  of  their 
managers. 

On  some  even  fairly  good  Catholic  papers,  through  limited 
means,  too  much  of  the  work  is  from  one  hand.  It  is  hard  for 
one  man,  however  clever,  to  do  wisely  and  brilliantly  the  jour- 
nalistic work  that  should  be  divided  among  three. 

"  Inadequate  Catholic  patronage,"  says  the  editor  in  extenuation 
of  the  shortcomings  of  his  paper. 

"  Dull  Catholic  papers,"  say  the  non-subscribing  Catholics  in 
self-defence. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  8i 

We  need  a  sweeping  reform  both  of  papers  and  patronage  ; 
but  it  must  begin  with  the  papers. 

"  Don't  moan  that  the  CathoHc  press  is  poorly  patronized," 
John  Boyle  O'Reilly  used  to  say,  "but  make  your  paper  so  good 
that  the  people  must  take  it." 

Though  our  resources  are  small,  yet  can't  they  be  better 
utilized  than  they  are  at  present  ? 

In  the  first  place,  can't  we  get  thoroughly  awake  to  the  fact 
that  the  day  of  the  weekly  neivs  paper  is  over,  and  that  our 
Catholic  people  generally  are  as  assiduous  and  intelligent  readers 
of  the  daily  papers  as  any  other  people  ?  They  are  justly  bored 
and  offended  when  their  local  Catholic  weekly  is  largely  a  re- 
hash of  the  local  secular  dailies. 

The  Catholic  paper's  whole  reason  for  being — the  whole  hope 
of  its  prosperous  future — is  that  it  gives  its  readers  something 
they  can't  find  anywhere  else.  Now,  they  get  the  news — even 
most  of  the  Catholic  news — in  the  daily  papers.  They  look  to 
the  Catholic  paper  for  correction,  comment,  opinion.  What  the 
Catholic  editor  owes  to  his  readers  is  a  terse  record  of  Catholic 
contemporary  history  with  intelligent  comment  thereon  ;  the 
Christian  lesson  of  the  events  of  the  world's  history  ;  refutation, 
not  of  the  silly  slanders  appearing  in  the  backwoods,  no-Popery 
organs,  which  refute  themselves,  but  of  the  adroit  misrepresen- 
tations of  history,  the  false  deduction,  the*  doubt  suggested  in  a 
compliment,  as  touching  matters  Catholic,  which  Catholics  are 
absorbing  every  day  through  the  daily  press,  the  literary  journal 
or  magazine,  or  popular  novel,  or  treatise  on  political  economy, 
or  brilliant  biography  of  statesman    or  philanthropist  or   poet. 

It  is  of  infinitely  more  consequence  to  keep  before  our  read- 
ers the  Catholicity  of  true  democracy ;  sound  views  on  the 
school  question,  the  labor  question,  the  matter  of  Papal  inde- 
pendence, etc.,  than  to  devote  leaders  to  the  dogma  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  which  none  of  them  doubt,  or  to  fill  a 
column  with  the  full  names  and  addresses  of  the  seven  hundred 
priests  who  attended  the  latest  consecration  of  a  cathedral. 
The  Catholic  editor  owes  it  further  to  his  readers  to  indicate  to 
them  Catholic  standard  literature,  to  keep  them  abreast  of  the 
contemporary  Catholic  literary  movements,  and  to  cast  a  Catholic 
light  on  general  literature.  He  should  keep  before  them  the 
work   of  eminent  Catholic  men  and  women  in  every  field. 

In  a  word,  that    Catholic  paper  is    fulfilling  its  mission   which 
helps  to  make  its  readers  strong  in  the  faith,  ready  in  defence  of 
it,  and  supremely  proud  of  it. 
6 


82  The  Afostolate  of  the  Pfess. 

But  to  be  and  do  all  this  the  Catholic  editor  would  need 
the  aggressive  zeal  and  courage  of  a  McMaster,  the  scholarship 
and  instinct  of  orthodoxy  of  a  Valentine  Hickey,  and  the  liter- 
ary ability,  the  broad  humanity  and  kindliness,  of  a  Boyle 
O'Reilly.  Well,  we  have  the  examples  of  all  these,  and  if  we 
were  not  especially  thinking  of  the  layman's  Apostolate  OF 
THE  Press,  and  finding,  therefore,  the  example  of  his  achieve- 
ment most  apposite,  we  might  say  much  of  the  lesson  of  Father 
Hacker's  life  to  us. 

Is  [there  any  way,  save  by  getting  our  work  on  this  high 
plane,  that  we  American  Catholic  journalists  can  hope  to  hold 
even  good  Catholics,  much  less  to  reach  the  estrays  of  our  own 
faith,  or  to  impress  the  non-Catholic  community  ?  Let  us  mend 
our  old  roads! 

And  let  us,  too,  make  new  ones.  How  is  the  Apostolate 
OF  THE  Press  to  get  at  indifferent  Catholics,  Protestants,  unbe- 
lievers ?     Only  through  the  secular  press. 

Father  Elliott,  in  his  call  to  this  Convention,  spoke  of  the 
appalling  ignorance  of  Christian  principles  on  the  part  of  non- 
Catholics.  Isn't  there  also  an  appalling  amount  of  ignorance 
and  wrong-headedness  on  religious  matters  among  Catholics 
themselves  ? 

Are  there  not  Catholics  whose  attitude  to  the  church  is  full 
of  jealousy  and  distrust? — who  draw  a  sharp  dividing  line 
between  God  and  the  church ;  who  talk  of  "  ecclesiasticism,  " 
and  resent  the  educational  decrees  of  the  Plenary  Council  as  an 
interference  in  family  affairs ;  who  use  the  expressions  "  broad  " 
and  "  Catholic "  in  so  sharp  antitheses  as  to  reveal  their  con- 
viction that  whatever  is  Catholic  is  necessarily  narrow ;  who  hold 
to  the  Catholic  name,  it  is  true,  but  on  matters  of  Catholic 
obedience  reserve  the  right  to  pick  and  choose,  and  exercise 
"private  judgment,"  as  thoroughly  as  any  Protestant  ever  did 
on  the  Bible.  These  Catholics,  ordinarily,  are  the  spiritual  pro- 
ducts of  the  non-religious  system  of  education. 

Is  there  not  still  another  class  of  Catholics  whose  actions 
proclaim  what  they  would  not  dare  to  formulate  in  words  even 
to  their  own  souls :  "  I  know  my  religion  is  true,  and  that  if  I 
forsake  it  I'll  lose  my  soul ;  but  I'm  rather  ashamed  of  it,  I  fear 
it's  vulgar,  I  know  it's  narrow  ;  and  oh !  how  I  wish  I  had  been 
genteelly  born  outside  of  the  church,  and  allowed  to  remain 
for  ever  in  invincible  ignorance  !  " 

One  would  be  inclined  to  contempt  for  these  small  souls  but 
for  the  remembrance    that  Christ,  foreseeing    them,  still    thought 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  83 

them  worth  dying  for.  So  we  must  account  them  worth  working 
for,  and  must  even  at  times  adapt  our  methods  to  their  weak- 
ness. 

But  there  is  almost  less  hope  of  reaching  or  impressing  the 
sort  of  Catholics  described  above  through  Catholic  papers  than 
of  reaching  Protestants  through  that  medium. 

Such  Catholics  have  scant  respect  for  Catholic  intellectual 
achievement  or  opinion  till  it  is  praised  or  reinforced  by  non- 
Catholics.  They  hesitated  about  Dante  till  he  was  taken  up  by 
the  Concord  School  of  Philosophy !  Protestant  patronage  of 
Catholic  college  or  convent  school  influences  their  action  far 
more  than  the  highest  ecclesiastical  approbation  would.  They 
won't  seriously  consider  a  Catholic  newspaper  or  book  until  they 
have  seen  it  in  non-Catholic  hands,  or  complimented  by  the 
secular  or  Protestant  press. 

We  can  never  do  much  for  weak  and  worldly  Catholics,  or 
for  the  non-Catholic  community,  with  our  Apostolate  of  the 
Press  till  there  are  more  and  better  Catholics  in  secular  jour- 
nalism and  in  general  literature. 

It  is  good  to  see  so  many  Catholic  young  men  and  women 
gravitating  towards  journalism  ;  but  it  is  devoutly  to  be  wished 
that  many  of  those  so  moving  were  better  instructed  and  braver 
Catholics. 

We  have  already  touched  on  the  general  willingness  of  the 
daily  press  to  give  liberal  space  to  the  record  of  Catholic  events. 
They  find  it  worth  their  while  to  do  it.  They  would  infinitely 
rather  have  such  record  correctly  made  than  otherwise.  It  is 
putting  it  mildly  to  say  how  much  the  managing  editor  prefers 
the  Catholic  sufficiently  well  up  in  his  religion  to  know,  at  least, 
what  a  priest  wouldn't  say,  to  him  whose  misleading  "  story " 
brings  in  an  indignant  letter  and  forces  a  prominent  correction  in 
the  next  issue. 

Is  it  not  an  apostolic  work  merely  to  avert  wide-spread  mis- 
representation of  matters  Catholic  ?  May  we  underrate  the  good 
accomplished  simply  by  the  correct  and  dignified  reporting  of 
Catholic  ceremonies,  the  spreading  of  sermons  and  addresses, 
the  narration  of  deeds  of  heroic  charity?  We  do  not  touch  on 
the  opportunities  of  the  critic  or  editorial  writer.  All  these 
things  are  now  a  part  of  the  routine  work  on  the  enterprising 
daily  paper.  They  would  fall  naturally  to  the  journalist  who  is 
a  Catholic,  What  a  pity  if  he  be  not  equal  to  his  opportuni- 
ties! 

There  are  Catholics  of  more    or  less — very  often  less — literary 


84  The  Afostolate  of  the  Press. 

ability  who  are  constantly  proclaiming  their  yearning  to  devote 
their  pens  to  the  service  of  the  church  ;  who  parade  it  as  a  vir- 
tue that  they  write  only  for  Catholic  publications,  and  who  are 
also  constantly  bemoaning  the  small  revenue  to  be  derived  from 
such  service.  They  have  the  most  exaggerated  notions  of  the 
money-value  of  their  sacrifice. 

They  wildly  overrate  the  payment  accorded  to  literary  or 
journalistic  work  on  secular  publications,  A  writer  must  be  very- 
famous  indeed  before  he  gets  an  "  unearned  increment, "  so  to 
speak,  on  the  score  of  the  bubble  reputation.  Some  one  writing 
recently  in  a  Western  Catholic  newspaper  on  the  familiar  theme 
of  the  sacrifices  made  by  Catholics  who  devote  their  pens 
exclusively  to  Catholic  papers,  pleaded  for  syndicating  on  such 
papers — not  only  that  a  good  thing  might  thus  be  easily 
brought  within  the  reach  of  many  readers,  but  also  that  it  might 
bring  in  to  the  writer  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  instead  of 
ten  dollars.  He  intimated  that  the  former  figure  might  easily 
represent  what  a  well-known  poet,  who  is  a  Catholic,  received 
for  some  verses  appearing  a  short  time  previous  in  the  New 
York  Independent. 

Now,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  that  poem  brought  its  author  not 
more  than  $15 — a  price  which  the  New  York  Independent  rarely 
exceeds  on  poems. 

I  knew  a  brilliant  young  convert,  an  Oxford  man,  to  spend 
nearly  a  year  on  a  Catholic  paper  at  six  dollars  a  week.  But 
he  was  offset  by  a  Harvard  graduate  of  my  acquaintance  on  a 
rich  metropolitan  daily  at  seven  dollars  per  week!  I  think  of 
still  another  Harvard  man,  with  a  very  fair  literary  reputation, 
and  a  social  position  to  sustain,  on  the.  scant  five  hundred  dol- 
lars per  year  paid  him  as  reader  of  MSS.  by  a  very  wealthy  and 
famous  publishing  house. 

We  may  smile  at  the  two  dollars  or  three  dollars  paid  for 
poems  by  struggling  Catholic  magazines,  but  I  have  seen  Life's 
check  for  $2.50  for  a  brilliant  poem  to  a  well-known  literary 
man.  On  the  whole  the  slaves  of  the  pen  work  for  whatever 
they  get  anywhere. 

They  are  indeed  to  be  commended  who  faithfully  devote 
themselves  to  building  up  a  Catholic  press  and  a  Catholic  liter- 
ature— to  mending  the  old  roads;  but  there  are  other  forms  of 
acceptable  service,  and  they  are  also  to  be  praised  who  go  forth 
bravely  making  new  ones. 

Looking  at  journalism  and  literature  merely  as  means  of  live- 
lihood,   no    one    claims    that     a    Catholic     is    obliged     to     write 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  85 

exclusively  for  Catholic  publications,  nor  to  bring  out  his  books 
exclusively  with  Catholic  publishers.  Our  only  duty  is  not  to 
trim  nor  compromise  in  deference  to  the  real  or  supposed  pre- 
judices of  non-Catholics. 

Indeed,  the  Catholic  who  has  made  a  name  in  general  liter- 
ature, who  has  won  by  force  of  ability  and  good  workmanship 
the  entrance  into  the  best  publications — and  is  still  known  as  a 
devout  Catholic — can  be  the  most  effective  in  the  Apostolate 
OF  THE  Press,  especially  in  that  branch  of  it  which  aims  at  the 
enlightenment  and  conversion  of  the  non-Catholics  of  America. 
For  such  a  Catholic  it  is  often  the  higher  duty  to  choose  the 
non-Catholic  medium.  Shall  Maurice  F.  Egan  sacrifice  his 
opportunity  of  presenting  the  Catholic  Layman's  Conviction  on 
the  school-question  in  the  North  American  Revieiv  for  the  sake 
of  an  extra  story  in  the  Ave  Maria}  Would  George  Parsons 
Lathrop's  article  on  Dr.  Brownson  do  as  much  good  anywhere 
as  it  will  in  its  announced  place,  the  Atlantic  MontJily  ? 

Some  of  us  remember  a  bitter  little  fling  against  "Catholics 
who  write  for  the  Independent. "  Would  to  God  we  had  more 
Catholics  like  the  majority  of  those  who  write  for  the  Indepen- 
dent ! 

Oh !  let  us  remember  that  there  is  room  enough  and  work 
enough  for  all  of  us ;  that  the  question  of  old  road  or  new  is 
to  be  solved  for  every  one  of  us  by  opportunity ;  that  the 
supreme  question,  appealing  with  equal  force  to  all,  is  :  "  Am 
I,  with  the  means  at  my  command,  doing  all  the  good  that 
God  and  humanity  have  a  right  to  expect  of  me  ?  " 


86  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 


TITR    SFXULAR    PRESS;    THE    CHURCH    AND    INTEM- 
PERANCE. 

JjnTKK    FROM    WILLIAM    F.   CARNE. 

Alexandria,  Va.,  December  31,  1891. 
The  Paiilist  Fathers  : 

Rkvkrknd  and  di;ak  I^^atiikrS:  I  regret  that  my  engage- 
ments will  prevent  my  attendance,  in  body,  at  the  Convention  of 
the  Al'OSTOLATK  OF  TllK  PRKSS  on  the  6th  and  7th  proximo  in 
New  York,  to  which  you  have  kindly  invited  me.  As  well  have 
sent  your  bidding  to  a  galley-slave  chained  to  his  oar  as  to  the 
reporter   of  the  daily  press. 

The  fact  is  that,  humanly  speaking,  unless  the  truth  be  gath- 
ered into  the  secular  press  it  can  never  do  its  full,  effective  work 
in  the  natural  order.  An  experience  of  forty  years  of  constant 
work  on  the  daily  press,  and  the  opportunities  afforded  by  your 
invitation,  seem  to  impose  upon  me  the  duty  of  suggesting  a 
reform  in  the  method  of  reporting  church  functions,  dedications, 
corner-stone  layings,  etc.,  in  the  daily  papers.  Cannot  on  such 
occasions  a  succinct  summary  of  what  the  function  is,  how  it 
came  to  be,  what  work  in  the  world  it  is  intended  to  accom- 
plish, be  furnished  the  reporters  instead  of  lists  of  the  names  or 
titles  of  the  ministers  and  choir-singers,  that  are  really  as  noth- 
ing beside  the  greatness  of  the  function.  As  a  rule  now  the 
outside  world  sees  in  such  solemnities  only  music  and  incense, 
flowers  and  laces.  Such  a  summary  as  I  suggest  would  occupy 
no  more  space  than  the  lists  of  functionaries ;  would,  I  think,  be 
acceptable  to  the  newspapers,  and  would  be  one  way  of  getting 
the  truth  into  the  secular  press. 

But  of  all  the  work  which  in  the  providence  of  God  may  be 
done  with  the  press,  nothing,  in  my  opinion,  is  half  as  important 
as  the  use  of  the  printing  and  distributing  facilities  of  the  day 
in  stamping  into  the  public  intelligence,  driving  into  the  brains 
of  the  United  States  with  a  mallet  and  chisel,  if  need  be,  the 
fact  that  the  Catholic  Church  gives  no  sanction  to  American 
rumselling.  If  millions  of  leaflets  with  the  injunction  of  the 
National  Council  on  the  abandonment  of  saloon-keeping  by 
Catholics  for  a  more  reputable    avocation  could  be  rained    down 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  87 

on    Catholic  and    non-Catholic    in    every  city,    village,  and    hamlet 
of  America  it  would  be,  indeed,  a  rain  from  heaven. 

In  the  minds  of  millions  here  the  belief  that  the  saloon 
is  not  an  anti-Catholic  institution,  is  abiding ;  and  I  have 
myself  heard  a  prominent  Catholic  say  in  public,  "  whiskey  is 
good  and  those  who  doubt  it  are  Manichaeans, "  using  in  this 
way  a  theological  word  in  a  popular  sense  to  the  manifest 
misleading  of  the  people.  If  all  honest  men  in  America  could 
be  convinced  that  the  Catholic  Church  is  anti-saloon,  the  church 
would  soon  begin  to  receive  on  earth  what  it  will  receive  in 
heaven,  the  souls  of  the  myriads  of  sincere  American  Christians 
now  in  invincible  ignorance. 

Sincerely  yours, 

William  F.  Carne. 


READING  CIRCLES. 

A   LETTER   FROM    BROTHER   AZARIAS. 

My  DEAR  Father  Elliott: 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  co-operate  with  any  movement  calcu- 
lated to  consolidate  and  strengthen  a  Catholic  APOSTOLATE  OF 
THE  Press.  Catholic  writers  need  encouragement  in  order  to  be 
outspoken  on  Catholic  subjects.  Catholic  readers  require  to 
have  their  attention  drawn  to  the  fact  that  there  is  a  Catholic 
press  to  be  supported,  and  to  that  other  fact  of  no  less  moment, 
that  there  are  Catholic  books  well  worth  the  perusal.  In  this 
respect  I  cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  the  work  that  has 
already  been  done  by  the  Columbian  and  the  Cathedral  Reading 
Circles  of  New  York  City,  and  the  Catholic  Educational  Union 
of  Youngstown,  Ohio.  They  are  untiring  in  their  efforts  to 
make  known  our  best  Catholic  literature.  They  are  proving, 
even  to  our  non-Catholic  publishers,  that  Catholic  tastes  are 
worth  catering  to,  Catholic  books  are  worth  handling,  and  Catho- 
lic authors  are  worth  patronizing.  Therefore  should  there  be 
among  readers  and  writers  holding  as  one  the  great  religious 
truths  of  redemption  and  salvation,  and  believing  in  the  infallible 
authority  of  the  same  divinely  instituted  church,  a  common  bond 
of  brotherhood  leading  to  mutual  aid  and  encouragement.  All 
petty  spites  and  jealousies  should  be  buried.     Instead    of  striving 


88  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

to  pull  down  merit  that  has  already  achieved  success,  or  nipping 
buds  of  intellectual  promise  with  the  cold  sneer  of  scepticism 
concerning  their  worth,  we  who  work  in  the  rank  and  file  of 
authorship  should  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder,  while  each  in  his 
own  way,  and  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  and  according  to  the 
light  and  strength  that  God  has  given  him,  makes  for  the  com- 
mon good  and  fights  the  common  enemy.  And  if  this  movement 
would  only  impress  upon  our  Catholic  authors  and  Catholic 
editors  the  sense  of  their  responsibility  in  such  a  manner  that  in 
everything  they  pen,  be  it  ever  so  slight,  they  would  first  inform 
themselves  thoroughly  and  afterwards  put  forth  unceasing  efforts 
to  express  themselves  in  the  best  manner  possible,  it  would 
already  have  achieved  much.  We  may  not  know  history  as  John 
Gilmary  Shea  knows  it ;  we  may  not  treat  philosophical  questions 
with  the  grasp  of  a  Brownson  ;  we  may  not  sing  as  sweetly  as 
did  Father  Ryan  and  John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  but  we  can  none  the 
less  use  our  best  endeavor,  by  study  and  thought  and  severe  lit- 
erary discipline,  to  make  acceptable  whatever  we  place  before 
the  public.  Only  so  may  we  reach  the  full,  rounded  expression 
of  truth  that  has  an  abiding  influence. 
Believe  me,  dear  Father  Elliott, 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

Brother  Azarias. 

Providence^  Christinas  Day,  1891. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  89 


HOW  TO  START  AND  MAINTAIN  A  CATHOLIC 
JOURNAL. 

BY   H.    L.    RICHARDS,   JR.,    OF   WINCHESTER,    MASS.* 

I  HAVE  been  asked  by  Father  Elliott  to  give  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  history  of  a  Catholic  paper  with  which  I  have  the  honor 
to  be  connected.  I  speak  the  more  freely  of  the  success  of 
this  paper  and  of  its  causes  because  my  own  connection  with  it 
is  comparatively  recent.  And  its  history  may  be  presumed  to 
be  of  interest  to  the  Convention  because  it  seems  to  me  to  dis- 
prove two  notions  which  I  believe  are  very  prevalent.  It  is 
said  and  repeated,  first,  that  our  people — Catholic  people  here- 
abouts— do  not  want,  will  not  read,  and  cannot  be  induced  to 
subscribe  for  what  is  called  Vith  a  sneer  a  ^^ pio7is  paper ^  Again, 
it  is  urged  and  reiterated  with  emphasis,  and  sometimes  with 
heat,  that  our  clergy  do  not  appreciate  Catholic  papers,  do  not 
encourage  but  rather  hold  aloof  from  and  even  discourage  them, 
at  least  negatively.  These  are  the  two  contentions.  If  the  ex- 
perience of  the  Sacred  Heart  Review  of  Boston  does  not  dis- 
prove them,  it  at  least  proves  them  to  be   not    universally  true. 

A  few  years  ago  Father  John  O'Brien,  pastor  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  Church,  Cambridge,  in  the  Archdiocese  of  Boston,  began 
the  issue  of  a  little  weekly  paper  hardly  to  be  called  a  journal — 
rather,  perhaps,  a  parish  bulletin.  It  gave  regularly  information 
as  to  the  church  services,  meetings  of  societies,  and  other  parish 
affairs,  and  in  addition  to  this  practical  and  "  business "  matter 
it  gave  from,  week  to  week  a  small  supply  of  edifying  and  pious 
reading  for  the  families  of  the  parishioners.  The  subscription 
price  was  a  mere  trifle,  as  there  was  no  desire  to  make  money 
out  of  the  enterprise.  From  the  first  it  was,  within  its  own 
modest  ambition,  highly  successful.  The  people  were  pleased 
with  it.  Parents  valued  it  especially  as  a  help  to  them  in  bring- 
ing up  their  children.  Soon  other  parishes  heard  of  it.  Pastors 
saw  in  it  precisely  what  they  wanted.  They  asked,  first  one  and 
then  another,  that  they  might  have  an  edition  each  for  his  own 
parish.  The  thing  grew  perforce.  From  a  simple  little  parish 
record  and  bulletin,  with  some  good  reading    for  Saturday   night 

*  This  valuable  paper  was  not  called  for  at  the  Convention  through  the  inadvertence  of 
the  President. 


go  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

and  Sunday  in  the  family,  its  size  was  doubled.  Now  it  runs 
to  sixteen  pages,  and  though  these  pages  are  not  the  largest  in 
the  world,  we,  who  get  out  the  copy  for  it,  know,  as  they  say, 
that  it  "holds  a  lot  of  stuff."  Its  success  has  astonished  its 
founder.  It  has  far  outgrown  its  original  parochial  character 
and  has  achieved  a  general  and  wide-spread  circulation.  And,  by- 
the-by,  it  is  well  printed  on  good  paper,  and  has  an  attractive 
appearance. 

Though  the  question  of  circulation,  as  every  newspaper  man 
knows,  is  a  delicate  one,  I  may  say  that  our  readers  are  very 
numerous — numbering  tens  of  thousands — far  more  than  we  ever 
expected. 

Now,  there  are  two  things  to  be  observed  here.  First,  it  is 
a  ''pious  paper  "  ;  that  is,  it  is  not  a  newspaper  but  a  Catholic 
paper,  pure  and  simple.  We  have  in  Boston  two  large  and  ably 
conducted  Catholic  newspapers,  one,  at  least,  of  which  is  repre- 
sented here  by  persons  well  known  in  Catholic  journalism.  With 
these  we  do  not  pretend  to  compete.  Our  very  name  indicates 
the  character  of  the  paper  and  the  Hmitations  which  from  choice 
it  observes.  We  use  every  care,  of  course,  to  make  it  readable 
and  interesting.  We  keep  in  touch  with  the  times  by  fully  dis- 
cussing current  issues.  But  our  chief  aim  is  to  make  a  distinc- 
tively Catholic  paper,  full  of  good,  rehgious  reading.  And  Catho- 
lics' subscribe  for  it,  read  it,  value  it,  renew  their  subscriptions, 
and  pay  for  it.  Thus  we  demonstrate  that  it  cannot  be  laid 
down  as  a  universal  proposition  that  Catholics  will  not  take  and 
read  a  pious  paper. 

Another  important  fact  is,  that  the  remarkable  success  and 
growth  of  the  paper  are  due  most  of  all  to  the  clergy  of  the 
diocese.  They  have  aided  and  encouraged  us.  They  read  it, 
they  recommend  it  from  the  altar,  they  urge  their  people  to 
take  it.  They  suggest  topics  of  practical  interest  for  discussion  ; 
they  have,  in  short,  given  every  possible  proof  of  interest  and 
appreciation.  And  it  may  be  mentioned  in  illustration  that  in 
two  weeks  from  now  it  is  to  be  regularly  and  formally  intro- 
duced into  the  cathedral  parish  at  the  request  and  with  the 
express  authorization  of  his  Grace  the  Archbishop  of  Boston. 
So  much,  then,  for  the  assertion  that  the  clergy  do  not  encourage 
or  care  for  Catholic  papers. 

As  to  the  character  of  the  paper  itself,  all  that  we  can  afifirm 
consistently  Avith  a  becoming  modesty  is,  perhaps,  to  quote  the 
saying  of  a  clergyman,  the  pastor  of  one  of  the  largest  churches 
in    Boston,    and    himself  one  of  the    ablest  and  most  brilliant    of 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  91 

his  vocation.  His  church  was  celebrated  for  its  music,  and  it 
was  remarked  that  many  persons  came  there  simply  to  hear  the 
music.  "  Well,"  he  replied,  "what  we  want  is  to  attract  peo- 
ple. Let  us  once  get  them  there,  and  if  then  we  do  not  take  care 
of  them  it  is  our  own  fault." 

We  try  simply  to  get  out  a  paper  that  shall  be  both  good 
and  readable.  If  we  get  readers  started  it  is  our  own  fault  if 
we  do  not  keep  them. 

We  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  deal  in  sensational  tales  or 
other  matter  catering  to  a  depraved  taste.  Our  founder  be- 
lieved that  there  existed  among  our  people  a  taste  for  good, 
even  for  pious,  reading.  And  our  history  proves  that  his  judg- 
ment was  correct. 


HOW  THE  PRINTER'S  ART  GOT  ITS  TERMS. 

BY   DAVID   HEALY,    OF   NEW   YORK. 

I  BEG  as  a  humble  representative  of  the  press  to  express  my 
grateful  appreciation  of  the  eloquent  tributes  of  recognition 
bestowed  upon  the  high  and  noble  mission  of  true  journalism  by 
the  eminent  priests  and  members  of  the  laity,  and  especially 
that  of  Judge  McGloin,  who  has  just  spoken.  I  feel  a  pride  in 
belonging  to  a  profession  which  was  born  within  the  shkdow  of 
the  sanctuary,  and  was  in  an  especial  manner  the  production  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  The  pious  monks  of  the  church  were  the 
first  patrons  and  devotees  of  the  printer's  art.  So  completely 
was  it  committed  to  their  educated  direction  and  untiring  indus- 
try, that  the  terms  familiarly  employed  by  them  in  the  first 
manipulation  of  the  types  were  the  same  as  they  used  in  the 
sacred  literature  of  truth.  They  have  been  accepted  by  the 
whole  civilized  world  and  have  descended  to  our  own  day.  This 
is  why  we  find  the  place  where  printing  is  done  called  the 
"  chapel  ";  a  complete  assortment  of  one  size  of  types  is  called  the 
"  font  ";  the  inner  room  of  the  editor,  held  sacred  from  disturb- 
ing intrusion,  is  called  the  "  sanctum,"  and  the  crude  apprentice, 
who  upsets  the  work  by  his  blunders,  is  called  in  good-natured 
raillery  the  printer's  "  devil.  "  I  think  it  most  fitting  and  most 
auspicious  that  this  great  agency  for  the  spread  of  the  truth 
should     receive    from     the    church,     the    divinely     commissioned 


92  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

teacher  of  the  truth,  a  special  charter  and  commission.  I  recog- 
nize In  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  a  most  auspicious 
union  of  kindred  forces  potent  for  the  advancement  of  rehgion 
and  civiHzation, 


THE    APOSTOLATE    OF     THE    PRESS    AND 
WORKING-WOMEN. 

BY    MISS   KATHERINE   A.    O'KEEFFE,    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS. 

During  the  reading,  yesterday,  of  papers  which  dwelt  upon 
the  desirability  of  placing  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  our  holy 
religion  before  Protestants,  I  felt  several  times  inclined  to  say  a 
word  about  one  way  in  which  a  great  deal  that  is  fundamen- 
tally true  reaches  Protestants,  as  well  as  a  deplorably  great  deal 
that  is  fundamentally  false.  But  I  hesitated,  lest  the  subject  had 
too  remote  a  connection  with  the  present  work.  Just  before 
leaving  the  hall,  however,  after  the  adjournment  of  last  evening's 
session,  I  heard  a  reverend  father  here  relate  an  incident  in  line 
with  what  I  was  thinking  of.  He  spoke  of  having  received  into 
the  church  an  "old-fashioned  Yankee,"  who  told  him  that  his 
knowledge  of  Catholic  truth  had  come  to  him  through  occasion- 
ally reading  the  Boston  Pilot,  to  which  an  employee  of  his  was 
a  subscriber.  From  this  I  passed  on  to  a  remembrance  of  that 
familiar  statement  of  the  well-known  convert.  Father  Haskins : 
"  Never  can  I  forget  the  Irish  boy  who,  in  exchange  for  the  let- 
ters I  taught  him,  first  taught  me  Christianity;  nor  the  servant 
in  my  father's  employ,  who  lent  me  Catholic  books  and  a  Catho- 
lic paper."  All  here,  probably,  can  recall  many  other  incidents 
somewhat  similar.  It  is  of  such  possibilities  that  I  wish  to  say 
a  word — very  imperfectly  I  know,  the  result  of  only  a  few 
moments'  leisure  this  morning. 

As  I  listened  to  the  able  papers,  and  to  the  eloquent,  logical 
discussions  that  followed  ;  and  as  I  heard  of  the  good  and  great 
things  Catholics  have  accomplished  and  are  accomplishing,  I 
have  realized  with  pleasure  and  pardonable  pride  how  wonder- 
fully, in  a  comparatively  short  time,  we  have  improved  our  oppor- 
tunities. Still,  we  all  know  that  the  majority  of  our  people  have 
not  yet  been  able  to  avail  themselves  of  the  great  advantages  of 
education  within    the    reach  of  others    in  our  time    and  country  ; 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  93 

and  that  a  great  many  are,  as  yet,  employed  in  the  lower  walks 
of  life. 

But  what  have  they  to  do  with  the  Apostolate  of  the 
Press  ?  Often  very  much,  it  seems  to  me.  Some  of  them  are 
brought  into  the  closest  connection  with  Protestants,  and  are 
the  disseminators  of  truth  or  of  error,  according  as  they  are  there- 
with provided.  The  Catholic  employee,  for  instance,  man  or 
woman — no,  that  were  too  broad  a  view  for  a  few  minutes'  im- 
perfect presentation.  I  will  confine  myself  to  one  division — 
the  Catholic  servant-girl.  How  often  has  she  been  under  God — 
who  loves  to  work  through  simple  agents — the  means  of  plant- 
ing in  her  rich  employer's  soul  the  first  seeds  of  truth  ;  and  how 
often,  alas !  has  she  sowed  there  unconsciously,  no  doubt,  the 
seeds  of  error,  which,  in  congenial  soil,  have  borne  bitter 
fruit. 

The  Protestant  women  are,  I  think,  more  bigoted  than  the 
men.  For  one  reason,  they  are  generally  more  interested  in 
their  own  religious  affairs,  which,  with  them,  means  to  be  less  tol- 
erant of  all  others.  Again,  they  are  in  many  places  less  likely 
to  come  in  contact  with  enlightened,  well-instructed  Catholics. 
The  men,  their  fathers,  brothers,  husbands,  go  out  into  the  world, 
where  the  angles  of  their  prejudice  become  worn  off  through 
contact  with  Catholic  men  whom  they  meet  in  business,  in  poli- 
tics, and  in  various  other  ways,  and  whom  they  find  to  be  as  fair 
and  honorable,  certainly,  as  the  average.  The  women  are  not  so 
favorably  placed,  particularly  in  smaller  towns  and  cities,  where, 
as  yet,  there  is  little  social  intercourse  between  Catholics  and 
Protestants.  There  the  Protestant  lady  is  likely  to  know  of 
Catholics  only  through  her  servant-girl ;  and  that  knowledge  may, 
as  the  girl  is  prepared  to  meet  the  objections  and  answer  the 
questions  of  her  mistress,  be  conducive  to  either  a  favorable  or 
an  unfavorable  opinion  of  Catholics  and  of  their  church. 

God  forbid  that  I  should  speak  disparagingly  of  the  good, 
honest  girls,  many  of  whom  are  higher  in  the  eyes  of  God  than 
those  the  world  looks  up  to ;  many  of  whom,  indeed,  I  count 
amongst  my  dear  and  respected  friends..  I  know  how  truly  many 
of  them  love  our  holy  faith,  and  what  sacrifices  they  would  make, 
and  frequently  do  make,  for  it.  I  know,  too,  that  many  of  them, 
as  I  have  already  said,  have  planted  the  seeds  of  truth  in  the 
souls  of  their  employers ;  but  I  also  know  that  they  do  not 
always  do  that ;  that  they  are,  oftentimes,  incapable  of  it,  and  that, 
indeed,  their  very  zeal  for  their  religion  and  their  desire  to  spread 
the  truth    has  sometimes    had    the  opposite    effect.       And,    right 


94  The  Apostolate  gf  the  Press. 

here,  it  seems  to  me,  the  Apostolate  OF  THE  PRESS  has  some 
work  to  do.  There  are  mistresses,  even  in  this  "woman's  cen- 
tury "  of  enlightenment,  who  are  not  themselves  prodigies  of 
learning,  and  who  have  never  read,  perhaps  could  not  half  under- 
stand, the  able  treatises  with  which  our  theologians  and  scholars 
are  so  successfully  combating  error  and  refuting  old-time  calumnies. 
These  mistresses  will,  however,  ask  their  servants  questions  about 
their  religion,  they  will  look  over  the  books  and  papers  of  their 
servants ;  and  the  latter,  instead  of  answering  such  questions 
with,  "  I  believe  everything  the  Catholic  Church  teaches,  but 
this  question  has  never  before  been  presented  to  me,  and  though 
I  know  my  church  has  a  satisfactory  answer  for  it,  I  am  not 
now  able  to  give  it.  If,  however,  you  are  really  interested,  I  will 
inquire,  or  I  will  get  you  a  book  that  will  answer  you  "  ;  instead 
of  giving  some  such  reply  as  this,  they  will  attempt  to  meet 
objections  and  answer  questions  that  the  most  learned  theo- 
logian would  ask  time  to  pray  over. 

Are  there  not  some  practicable  means  by  which  these  good, 
well-intentioned  girls  may,  in  such  cases,  be  assisted  in  doing  a 
noble  work — a  work  which  is  continually  within  their  reach  ? 

I  come  from  a  manufacturing  city  in  Massachusetts,  young 
but  fairly  prosperous,  the  latter  fact  owing,  in  a  great  measure, 
to  the  industry,  ability,  and  thrift  of  Catholic  laborers  in  various 
avocations.  In  the  one  church  that  I  attend  there  is  a  Young 
Woman's  Sodality  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  numbering  about  six 
hundred  members,  and  a  Society  of  the  Sacred  Heart  numbering 
still  more.  There  are,  of  course,  many  other  similar  societies 
numbering  several  hundred  members ;  but  I  cite  these  two  as 
being  associations  likely  to  come  under  the  influence  of  the 
Apostolate  of  the  Press,  as  each  society  has  what  might  be 
considered  its  literary  organ.  In  each  of  these  two  the  great 
majority  are  working-women,  likely  through  their  avocations  to 
come  in  contact  with  Protestants.  They  are  clerks,  dress- 
makers, milliners,  factory-girls,  school-teachers,  book-keepers,  ser- 
vant-girls. A  great  many  of  the  members  of  these  two  societies 
take — those  in  the  first  named  the  Ave  Maria,  and  in  the  second, 
the  Messenger  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  Others  in  these  and  kindred 
societies  take  the  Catholic  World,  the  Boston  Pilot,  the  Sacred 
Heart  Review,  the  Catholic  Reading  Circle  Reviezv,  and  various 
other  Catholic  periodicals.  Now,  if  these  periodicals  would 
spare  a  page  or  a  column  in  each  issue  to  present,  in  the  plain- 
est and  simplest  language,  explanations  of  truth  and  refutations 
of  error,  it  would  be  of  great  service  'to  a  large  number  of  their 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  95 

readers,  and  would  enable  them  thereby  to  do  something  in  their 
own  simple  and  humble  way  to  spread  the  truth  and  to  dissi- 
pate error. 

We  all  know  most  of  the  subjects  that  would  have  to  be 
discussed.  And  that  is  just  the  difficulty.  We  know  them  so  well 
that  we  are  tired  of  them,  and  imagine  every  one  else  is  equally 
so  ;  the  result  of  which  is  that  many  whom  we  would  like  to 
reach  lose  an  opportunity  of  learning  the  truth  and  unlearning 
falsehoods. 

If  managers  of  papers  and  magazines  would  keep  these  pos- 
sibilities in  mind,  and  devote  a  little  more  space  to  their  humble 
subscribers,  those  of  us  who  need  not  this  help  could  well  spare 
it,  and  I  am  sure  that  those  to  whom  it  might  be  given  would 
make  good  use  of  it  both  by  acquiring  information  from  it  for 
themselves,  and  by  having  that  information  at  hand  to  meet  the 
questions   and  the  objections  of  their    employers. 


THE   APOSTOLATE  OF   THE   PRESS   AND   CHILDREN. 

BY    MARY   ELIZABETH    BLAKE,    OF   BOSTON. 

When  one  reflects  upon  the  qualities  of  mind,  as  well  as  of 
body,  which  belong  to  the  formative  period  of  childhood,  and 
their  dependence  for  future  strength  or  weakness  upon  the  con- 
ditions under  which  they  are  evolved,  every  step  toward  develop- 
ment becomes  a  problem  which  can  only  be  solved  by  the  unit- 
ed effort  of  wisdom  and  of  love.  Intelligence  alone  is  too  coldly 
careful,  affection  alone  too  warmly  kind  to  produce  the  best  re- 
sults. In  the  particular  civilization  to  which  we  belong — that 
end  of  the  century  type  which  has  grown  to  mean  so  much  and 
so  little — the  transition  has  swung  so  far  from  restraint  that  it 
is  in  danger  of  causing  as  grievous  mistake,  in  regard  to  training, 
as  ever  before.  For  all  change  is  not  progress,  however  much 
it  may  appeal  to  the  fickle  mind  of  man.  We  have  learned  the 
necessity  of  regular  and  severe  physical  exercise  in  order  to  in- 
duce the  robust  and  even  growth  of  muscle  and  the  firm  control 
of  strong  nerves.  But,  with  strange  blindness  to  the  logical  se- 
quence of  deduction,  we  are  attempting  to  feed  the  soul  and 
form  the  basis  of  character  upon  the  weakest  and  most  relaxing 
diet.     We  have  been  gradually  eliminating  from  the    mental    out- 


^6  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

fit  of  this  generation  one  of  the  strongest  influences  which  be- 
longs to  human  nature — the  inculcation  of  the  principle  that  no- 
thing of  value  can  ever  be  gained  without  being  paid  for  in  good 
coin  of  the  realm.  Morally  or  mentally,  there  must  be  effort  in 
the  acquiring  if  the  result  is  ever  to  be  permanent.  Knowledge 
imbibed  unconsciously  is  apt  to  remain  for  ever  unconscious. 
As  a  vivifying  and  active  force  it  bears  somewhat  the  same  re- 
lation to  solid  possession  that  the  evanescent  riches  of  specula- 
tion have  to  the  slow  and  sure  profit  of  a  legitimate  business 
enterprise.  One  vanishes  as.  lightly  as  it  has  come,  slipping 
through  the  careless  hands  which  have  not  been  taught  its 
value.  The  other  becomes  the  splendid  agent  of  wise  philan- 
thropy, educated  prudence,  and  enlightened  generosity. 

The  admirable  means  which  Froebel  instituted  as  an  entering 
wedge  of  reform  in  the  education  of  children  has,  with  all  its 
beauties,  this  one  element  of  danger.  Or  rather,  the  careless  ap- 
plications made  of  it  have  had  such  tendency  to  run  in  the  lines 
of  least  resistance,  to  hide 'all  the  sturdy  hardship  of  work  under 
the  guise  of  play,  that  it  often  overshoots  the  mark.  In  the  end 
the  child  has  made  less  gain  in  exact  knowledge,  and  none  at 
all  in  the  habit  of  serious  effort.  Now,  life  is  not  going  to  pre- 
sent its  difficulties  to  the  young  crusader  with  all  the  steps 
toward  their  solution  prearranged,  with  suggestions  ready  to 
create  action,  with  situations  planned  for  the  purpose  of 
arousing  thought  and  interest.  If  in  the  early  education  one 
has  not  been  taught  to  grapple  with  the  obstacle  whenever  and 
wherever  it  occurs,  to  confront  the  emergency  with  readiness  and 
courage,  there  is  an  inherent  weakness  of  character  for  which  no 
vivacity  of  temperament  or  quickness  of  perception  will  compen- 
sate. The  training  must  have  developed  resolution,  persistency 
under  defeat,  the  dogged  perseverance  that  struggles  and  falls 
and  rises  to  struggle  again,  or  the  conditions  of  failure  are  al- 
ready established.  Nature  has  not  endowed  us  with  that  blessed 
quality  of  combativeness  in  order  that  it  should  be  left  to  decay 
under  the  rust  of  inaction  ;  but  that  it  should  fill  our  lives  with 
the  riches  and  the  rejoicing  which  spring  from  the  proper  exer- 
cise of  every  normal  power  and  strengthen  action  with  the  fine 
forces  of  determination. 

The  difficulty  has  largely  been  that  we  wait  too  long  before 
beginning  to  exercise  sufficient  care  in  the  choice  of  the  intel- 
lectual influences  under  which  the  child  is  placed.  We  forget, 
or  we  do  not  know,  how  early  the  formation  of  mental  and 
moral  perception  commences.     We   hesitate   to    make    choice    for 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  97 

him,  until  he  begins  to  sliow  tastes  and  preferences  ;  half  afraid, 
else,  that  we  may  tamper  with  individuality,  or  thwart  the  origi- 
nal bias  of  character.  Yet  what  is  taste,  and  what  is  preference, 
ninety-nine  times  out  of  the  hundred,  but  the  expression  of  habits 
already  formed  ;  of  likes  and  dislikes  already  divided  by  custom  ; 
of  a  mind  already  awakened  to  pleasure  or  pain  by  one  set  of 
emotions,  while  it  remains  closed  to  the  influence  of  another. 
If  the  ordinary  child  of  four  years  shows  a  leaning  in  this  or 
that  direction,  it  is  much  more  often  because  of  four  years'  gradual 
accumulation  of  impressions  than  of  any  strong  inherited  predi- 
lection for  one  or  the  other  form  of  thought.  To  begin  then,  and 
then  only,  to  choose  the  mental  food  which  shall  form  disposi- 
tion or  character,  is  to  begin  four  years  too  late.  The  songs 
that  have  been  sung  to  the  infant,  the  stories  that  have  been 
told,  the  poems  we  have  read  to  it,  .have  been  forming  a  back- 
ground, vague  at  first  and  uncertain,  but  gathering  form  and 
color  and  shape  with  every  breath.  We  have  been  working  with 
such  impalpable  materials  as  to  be  almost  unconscious  of  their 
presence,  when  lo  !  already  the  foundation  of  the  house  has 
been  built.  And  the  courses  are  laid  in  material  like  that  Mexi- 
can stone  which  can  be  moulded  by  a  knife  in  the  hand  of  the 
carver,  but  which  hardens  into  iron  after.  Now  that  we  are  com- 
mencing the  formation  of  a  Catholic  literature  for  childhood — for 
although  so  much  admirable  work  has  been  done  in  France  and 
Germany,  we  are  still  in  America  very  near  the  beginning — there 
are  some  points  worth  grave  consideration.  In  much,  indeed  in 
most  of  that  provided  in  modern  days  for  this  early  training, 
justice  has  not  been  done  to  the  latent  power  of  the  child's  un- 
derstanding— above  all,  of  the  child's  imagination.  To  him 
in  that  first  morning  time  yet  bright  with  the  light  of  heaven 
which  still  clings  about  hira,  yet  dazzled  by  the  wonderful  new 
experiences  of  that  wonderful  new  world,  all  things  are  somewhat 
unreal  and  mystical.  The  most  commonplace  objects  are  prob- 
lems ;  the  most  matter-of-fact  events  in  some  way  mysterious. 
The  spirit,  wandering  out  of  the  great  vague  spectrum  of  immen- 
sity which  first  surrounds  it  has  not  yet  adjusted  itself  to  the  limits 
of  time  and  space,  or  to  the  working  of  those  natural  laws  which 
by  and  by  will  be  taken  for  granted.  The  soul  lives  in  a  border- 
land of  romance,  wherein  every  thought  is  novel,  every  act  and  ac- 
tor partakes  alike  of  enchantment.  For  it  flame  of  the  candle  and 
light  of  the  moon  are  the  same  ;  one  is  no  more  distant  or  beautiful 
than  the  other.  In  such  state  of  receptivity  the  great  and  the  good 
can  be  as  freely  broached  as  the  little  and  the  worthless.  It  cannot 
7 


98  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

fully  understand  either,  but  it  can  retain  sufficient  impress  to 
hold  for  ever  some  loftier  or  some  more  degrading  standard 
by  which  to  measure  after-impressions. 

Those  who  have  personal  experience  in  the  mind  education  of 
children  know,  and  none  other  can,  with  what  strange  avidity 
and  what  amazing  lucidness  of  perception  they  accept  problems 
which  come  only  by  long  process  of  reasoning  to  our  soberer 
judgment.  Imagination  makes  up  what  intellect  lacks;  and  they 
grasp  with  keenest  enjoyment  facts  and  fancies  of  which  one 
would  have  deemed  them  incapable.  Especially  is  this  true  of 
poetic  imagery.  Tales  of  Shakspere,  Stories  of  Homer,  Idyls  of 
the  King,  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome,  will  become  part  and  parcel 
of  themselves  long  before  our  cold  wisdom  could  have  divined 
the  possibility.  So,  too,  the  lives  of  the  Saints,  the  grand  fierce 
beauty  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  divine  loveliness  of  the  New, 
the  splendid  pageant  of  Christian  heroism,  the  legends  of  devo- 
tion, the  history  of  faith.  For  us  especially  the  exposition  of 
that  heritage  of  greatness  and  riches  of  which  the  church  has 
been  guardian  for  nineteen  centuries,  which  should  be  the  apple 
of  our  eye,  but  which  too  often  is  seen  only  through  a  veil  that 
dims  or  distorts.  There  is  nothing  more  striking  than  the  subtle 
affinity  of  the  child's  soul  for  such  books;  and  the  nearer  the 
language  reflects  the  majesty  of  the  thought,  the  more  readily 
is  it  understood.  They  do  not  stumble  and  hesitate,  as  we  too 
often,  over  one  unknown  word,  which  makes  an  inspired  page 
halt  for  want  of  an  interpreter  to  make  its  slightest  shade  of 
meaning  clear.  They  do  not  quibble  over  trifles;  but  like  some 
eager  lover,  whose  desire  fills  every  gap  with  import,  the  strong 
pulse  which  beats  beneath  the  letter  carries  them  triumphantly 
on  to  the  final  comprehension  of  its  beauty  and  truth. 

But  although  imagination  is  a  quality  which  should  be  most 
tenderly  and  carefully  trained,  since  upon  it  depends  so  much  of 
the  happiness  and  usefulness  of  later  life,  it  is  not  the  only  one 
to  be  provided  for  and  considered  in  the  literature  of  childhood. 
The  intense  yearning  for  action,  the  immense  curiosity  which 
questions  and  seeks,  which  knocks  at  all  doors,  and  enters  into 
the  vestibule  of  all  truth,  demands  satisfaction.  Why  should  we 
attempt  to  satisfy  it  by  the  milk  and  water  which  is  so  often 
offered  by  way  of  literary  answer.  With  the  wonders  of  astron- 
omy and  botany  being  every  day  revealed  more  clearly  to 
searching  eyes;  with  the  miracles  of  scientific  investigation,  the 
secrets  of  earth  and  air  being  unravelled  before  the  inquiring 
mind;  with    the    master   spirits  that   are   spending   the    riches    of 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  99 

intellect  and  discovery  to  uplift  the  standard  of  knowledge  in 
their  respective  domains,  why  should  the  children  lack  for  food 
of  the  best  and  purest?  Why  limit  their  bold  and  adventurous 
souls  to  zigzag  journeys  and  Bodley  books,  to  meaningless  creeds 
of  boy  frolic  and  girl's  quarrels,  while  the  brave  front  of  the 
explorer  is  piercing  the  shadows  of  every  unknown  corner  of 
earth,  amid  scenes  which  outrival  the  dreams  of  romance  in 
their  splendid  reality  ?  Why  not  introduce  him — not  as  pale  his- 
toric shadows,  but  as  living,  acting  human  beings — to  the  Jesuits 
in  North  America,  to  Columbus,  to  Livingstone,  to  Kane,  to  St. 
Francis  Xavier,  and  to  those  young  heroes,  fighting  soldiers  of  the 
Cross,  who  are  even  now  daring  the  unknown  horrors  of  darkest 
Africa  for  glory  of  God  instead  of  worldly  honor.  Children  are 
all,  thank  God,  hero  worshippers !  Let  their  heroes  be  the  true, 
the  deathless,  instead  of  those  showy  idols,  with  feet  of  clay, 
who  are  so  often  placed  in  the  foreground  of  their  vision,  and 
who  usurp,  through  so  many  years  of  later  life,  the  niches  and 
pedestals  which  should  be  shrines  of  real  greatness.  Trace  for 
them  in  glowing  and  good  English  the  men  and  women  of  the 
past  and  of  the  present  who  have  wo^n  true  glory  in  those  fields 
of  peace  and  helpfulness  which  have  been  too  long  overshadowed 
by  the  more  brilliant  glamour  of  red-armed  war.  Make  the 
names  they  should  be  proud  of  household  words ;  so  that  history 
shall  be  no  longer  a  bloodless  monster  of  dates  and  enigmas, 
but  an  unforgetable  story,  whose  fascinating  chapters  are  still 
unfolding.  Above  all,  let  whatever  is  done  for  them  be  of  a 
kind  to  stimulate  desire  for  greater  and  better  things,  of  a 
kind  which  shall  strengthen  rather  than  enervate,  and  whet 
the  appetite  instead  of  satiating.  And  as  a  natural  result  from 
such  premises,  let  the  work  be  by  the  master  hand  rather  than 
the  apprentice.  Let  the  beginners  write  for  us,  who  are  old 
enough  to  recognize  the  promise  of  the  work  spite  of  its  incom- 
pleteness, and  sufificiently  used  to  the  scanty  harvests  of  the 
world  to  count  gladly  and  gratefully  the  grains  of  wheat  in  the 
bushel  of  chaff.  Our  sense  of  proportion  can  make  due  allow- 
ance, and  arrange  in  proper  order  that  which  deserves  remem- 
brance from  that  other  which  is  but  as  the  passing  voice  of  the 
wind  which  sighs  once  and  is  then  gone.  But  let  the  child's 
page  be  as  beautiful,  as  fine,  and  as  symmetrical  as  the  ripeness 
of  talent  and  of  skill  can  create  it.  Fifty  years  ago — aye,  even 
twenty — this  might  have  been  considered  a  chimerical  proposition. 
The  maturity  of  great  intellects  was  too  busy  with  the  discus- 
sion and    solution  of   abstract  questions    of  reform    or  of    inquiry 


loo  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

to  trouble  itself  about  the  training  of  childhood.  But,  however 
much  reason  we  have  to  quarrel  with  the  inaterialism  of  the 
modern  world  there  is  this  to  be  said  in  its  favor.  It  has  made 
not  only  possible  but  practicable  a  wiser  order  of  affairs.  It  is 
learning  to  understand  that  great  changes,  whether  of  morals  or 
of  taste,  must  begin  from  the  beginning;  and  that  the  intellectual 
influences  under  which  the  child  is  placed  to-day  are  those  which 
will  largely  control  the  man  to-morrow.  The  old  rule  of  the 
equality  between  supply  and  demand  is  again  being  proven. 
When  a  single  magazine  for  children  can  promise  to  its  readers 
talks  upon  government  and  politics  by  Gladstone,  health  by 
Hammond  and  Mackenzie  Morrill,  adventure  by  Russell  and 
Stanley,  art  by  Verestchagin,  self-reliance  by  Carnegie  and 
Field,  enterprise  by  De  Lesseps,  fiction  by  MacDonald,  political 
economy  by  Playfair,  and  every  conceivable  point  of  interest  in 
character  and  affairs  by  a  host  of  brilliant  and  sympathetic 
writers,  the  question  of  authorship  is  solved.  If  we  desire  to 
make  personal  application  of  their  methods  the  way  is  open 
before  us.  We  have  material  in  plenty.  To  sum  up,  then,  the 
requisites  toward  which  development  should  tend  in  the  forma- 
tion of  children's  reading :  a  literature  of  masters  instead  of 
pupils.  Plenty  of  imagination — there  can  scarce  be  too  much 
since  from  it  spring  the  qualities  which  hold  us  responsive  to 
nature  and  sympathetic  toward  mankind.  The  fairy  tale  which 
turns  the  glad  and  loving  soul  of  the  child  toward  sky  and 
stream,  hedgerow  and  mountain  peak,  flower  and  forest,  is  as 
rich  an  element  of  good  as  the  patient  self-helpfulness  of  Robin- 
son Crusoe  or  the  manly  self-respect  of  Tom  Brown.  The 
poetry  of  life  needs  to  be  strongly  set  to  music  that  it  may 
hold  its  own  amid  the  coarser  uproar  of  harsh  prose  which  so 
outvoices  it.  A  vivid  and  noble  relation  of  the  great  deeds  of 
great  hearts  which  have  made  the  world  rich,  and  which  remain 
as  impetus  for  every  high  ambition,  the  wonders  of  science, 
the  loveliness  of  art,  the  supreme  glory  of  religious  motive  and 
conviction  to  lift  the  soul  into  prayerful  communion  with  the 
great  Author  and  Master,  all  made  as  beautiful,  as  attractive, 
and  as  simple  as  only  great  truths  are  capable  of  being.  In  the 
ocean  of  written  words  for  childhood,  which  ebbs  and  flows 
unceasingly,  each  line  of  this  kind  is  a  spring  of  purity  and 
strength,  to  cleanse  and  hearten.  It  is  cause  for  thanksgiving 
and  for  hope  that  we  have  already  so  much  of  it.  The  rest  is 
but  froth  and  foam  which  has  neither  beauty  nor  usefulness, 
which  rises  for  a  moment  to  the  surface  and  then  vanishes  for  ever. 


The  Apostolatr  of  the  Press.  ioi 

THE  PRESS  AND  CHILDREN. 

A    LETTER   FROM    MRS.   JOSEPHINE    M.    HECKER. 

Dear  Father  Ei.r.lOTT:  I  am  more  than  interested  in- the 
great  idea  of  the  Al'OSTOI.ATE  OF  THE  PRESS. 

We  all  readily  acknowledge  and  appreciate  the  power  of  the 
press  for  good  or  for  evil,  but  we  wake  very  slowly  to  the 
thought  that  it  depends  upon  us,  upon  each  and  every  one  of 
us,  to  put  that  power  into  action  for  good  and  to  keep  it  from 
evil. 

Thanks  to  God,  then,  that  a  body  of  Catholic  men  and  wo- 
men are  to  meet,  and  to  take  counsel,  and  to  pray  over  this 
matter !  The  fields  of  the  world  are  white  for  the  harvest  and 
waiting  for  the  God-sent  laborers. 

May  I  say  a  few  words  in  regard  to  the  press    and  children  ? 

Nearly  twenty-four  years  ago  Father  Hecker  conceived  the 
thought  of  giving  to  our  Catholic  children  a  paper  that  would 
be  strong  and  earnest  in  the  Faith,  beautiful  in  art,  and  bright, 
helpful,  and  progressive  in  its  tone.  Very  few  Catholic  papers 
for  children  were  then  to  be  found  in  the  United  States,  and 
when  TJie  Young  Catholic  became  an  accomplished  fact  it  was 
received  w^ith  the  greatest  favor,  and  soon  had  a  circulation  of 
from  fifty  to  eighty  thousand. 

Since  then  it  has  had  almost  innumerable  successors,  and  no 
Catholic  child  throughout  our  whole  country  need  now  be  with- 
out a  Catholic  paper  prepared  expressly  for  children. 

What  has  struck  me  in  the  years  that  TJie  Young  CatJiolic 
has  been  in  existence  is  the  intelligence  of  the  children,  and 
their  love  and  zeal  for  their  holy  faith.  And  it  seems  to  me 
that  on  this  last  line,  love  and  zeal  for  their  faith,  a  paper  for 
children  should  particularly  work.  They  should  be,  in  season 
and  out  of  season,  urged  to  give  thanks  to  God  for  the  gift  of 
faith.  They  should  be  taught  to  say  again  and  again  with  St. 
Teresa,  in  a  spirit  of  thanksgiving,  "  I  am  a  child  of  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church."  They  should  be  urged  to  work  and  pray  for 
the  conversion  of  the  people  of  this  country.  They  will  re- 
spond generously,  and  while  they  pray  for  others  they  will 
unconsciously  value  more  and  more  God's  gift  to  them — their 
heritage    of     faith.     Alas !     how    many    poor    little    ones,  thrown 


I02  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

amongst  the  enemies  of  their  faith  and  knowing  nothing  of  it, 
have  come  to  be  ashamed  of  it,  to  deny  it,  and  even  to  hate  it ! 
Before  leaving  this  subject  I  would  like  to  speak  of  two  as- 
sociations that  have  been  in  existence  many  years  among  the 
readers  of  The  Young  Catholic — the  Sunbeam  Club  and  The 
Young  Catholics  Band  of  Missionaries.  The  members  of  the 
Missionary  Band  promise  to  say  every  day,  at  least  once,  but 
oftener  if  possible,  this  prayer :  O  God,  grant  to  the  people  of  this 
country  the  gift  of  faith,  and  bring  them  into  thy  Holy  Church. 
Thousands  and  thousands  of  children  have  joined  this  band, 
whole  schools  joining  at  once  and  saying  the  prayer  in  com- 
mon, adding  it  to  their  morning  and  evening  prayers.  The 
letters  of  the  children  in  joining  and  at  other  times  are  full  of 
zeal  and  enthusiasm.  It  is  surely  a  joy  to  think  of  the  many 
prayers  going  up  from  innocent  hearts  for  the  conversion  of  our 
countrymen,  and  a  consolation  to  feel  that  while  the  children 
pray  for  the  gift  of  faith  for  others  they  learn  to  love  and  prize 
the   blessed  gift  themselves. 

I  said  in  a  previous  paragraph  that  there  was  no  reason  why 
every  CathoHc  child  should  not  have  a  Catholic  paper  to  r^ad. 
In  one  sense  there  is  no  reason,  for  the  paper  is  ready  for  the 
child  ;  but  are  we  ready  to  put  it  in  the  hands  of  the  child  ? 
Are  priests,  and  parents,  and  teachers  awake  to  the  necessity  of 
doing  what  depends  on  them  to  make  our  rising  generation  of 
Catholics  enlightened,  earnest,  strong,  and  faithful  ?  This  has  got 
to  be  done  through  what  they  read  as  well  as  through  what  they 
are  taught  orally.  Books  and  papers  are  the  arms  of  the  cru- 
saders of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  with  them  we  must  pre- 
serve our  own  and  win  to  God  those  who  are  in  the  darkness 
of  error  and  unbelief. 

I    believe    in    the    APOSTOLATE    OF    THE    PRESS.     May    God 

speed  its  work ! 

Josephine  M,  Hecker, 

Editor  of  the   Young  Catholic. 


The  Afostolate  of  the  Press.  103 

THE  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE  PRESS  AND  THE  ARMY. 

letter  from  rev.  j.  f.  dolphin,  chaplain  u.  s.  a. 

Fort  Snelling,  Minn., 

January  4,   1891. 

President  of  the  Conventio?i  of  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  : 

I  respectfully  invite  your  attention  to  the  United  States 
army  as  a  ripe  field  for  the  labors  of  the  Apostolate  OF 
THE  Press.  The  army  consists  of  25,000  men,  distributed  in 
125  garrisons  throughout  the  country.  From  one-fourth  to  one- 
third  of  the  soldiers  are,  or  should  be,  Catholics.  At  many 
posts  the  soldiers  seldom  see  a  priest  ;  and  in  few  posts  have 
they  facilities  for  the  regular  practice  of  their  religion.  At  all 
posts  military  duties  greatly  interfere  with  attendence  at  Mass 
with  any  regularity.  Hence  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 
Catholics  in  the  army  are  greatly  exposed  to  the  danger  of  be- 
coming lax  in  the  performance  of  their  religious  duties,  and  of 
even  losing  their  faith.  Away  from  the  influences  of  home,  and 
in  the  circumstances  mentioned,  and  often  surrounded  by  great 
temptations,  their  condition  is  forlorn. 

In  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  I  see  a  saving  agent  full 
of  power  to  remedy  the  evil.  It  seems,  in  fact,  the  only  agent 
which  may  hope  to  reach  and  speak  to  and  do  missionary  work 
with  all. 

The  post  libraries  are  open  to  your  literature.  Place  on 
their  tables  good,  attractive  Catholic  reading  matter,  and  you 
will  surely  accomplish  much  in  keeping  alive  the  faith  and 
awakening  the  consciences  of  Catholics,  and  setting  before  others 
in  the  true  light  the  teachings  of  our  church,  which  is  so  little 
understood  and  so  much  maligned. 

When  your  plans  are  ready  to  be  put  in  practice,  command 
me  at  your  pleasure,  trusting  in  my  cordial  and  unreserved  co- 
operation. I  am,  yours  sincerely, 

J.  F.  Dolphin, 
Post  Chaplain    U.  S.  Army. 


104  'The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

CATHOLIC   READING  AND  THE  NAVY.* 

BY  REV.  EDWARD  J.  MCQOLRICK,  ST.  CECILIA'S   CHURCH,  BROOKLYN. 

The  Apostolate  of  the  Press  appeals  to  every  zealous 
Catholic  with  a  force  and  conviction  that  is  inferior  only  to  a 
heavenly  inspiration.  And  in  response  to  Father  Elliott's  re- 
quest I  gladly  contribute  some  practical  suggestions  about  read- 
ing in  the  navy,  my  experience  in  the  Brooklyn  Navy-yard  en- 
abling me  to  do  so  intelligently. 

There  are  in  the  United  States  navy  about  9,000  men,  in- 
cluding both  sailors  and  marines.  Of  this  number  it  is  conceded 
by  the  very  best  authority  that  two-thirds  are  Catholics,  As  to 
the  character  or  moral  standing  of  our  fellow-Catholics  who  thus 
go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships  and  do  business  in  great  waters 
there  is  a  most  lamentable  ignorance,  a  fact  which  is  very  preju- 
dicial  to  our  noble-hearted  tars.  The  majority  of  people  think 
that  sailors  are  as  a  class  a  careless,  shiftless,  heedless  set  of 
fellows  without  one  serious  thought,  one  redeeming  quality. 
This  conclusion  they  arrive  at  because  they  associate  the  word 
sailor  with  the  degraded  specimens  they  see  about  sailors'  board- 
ing-houses or  lounging  about  the  wharves  of  our  maritime  cities. 
They  believe  that  men  who  have  made  a  failure  of  life,  who 
seek  to  hide  from  society,  good-for-nothing  and  of  idle  habits,  are 
the  only  types  of  manhood  found  in  the  navy.  Nothing  can  be 
more  false  than  such  notions,  or  more  injurious  to  a  body 
of  men  of  whom  our  country  should  be  proud.  Only  able- 
bodied  seamen,  with  letters  of  recommendation  from  the  last 
captain  with  whom  they  sailed,  are  admitted  into  the  navy.  If 
perchance  a  man  of  depraved  habits,  a  blasphemer,  a  narrator  of 
vile  and  filthy  stories,  a  liar,  a  thief,  or  drunkard,  should  by  some 
accident  be  admitted  into  the  navy,  he  soon  amends  his  ways 
because  he  finds  he  has  fallen  among  honest  and  decent  men,  or 
else  he  is  severely  punished  for  his  bad  conduct,  and  if  found 
incorrigible  is  publicly  and  ignominiously  expelled  from  the 
navy. 

Every  man  entering  the  navy  must,  moreover,  be  able  to  read 
and  write,  and    having  entered  on  this  career  the    Jiabit    of    read- 

*It  was  hoped  that  Father  Parks,  Catholic  Naval  Chaplain,  would  be  present  at  the  Con- 
vention and  read  a  paper,  but  he  was  ordered  to  sea  and  thus  prevented  from  doing  so. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  105 

ing  is  very  soon  acquired.  I  doubt  if  there  is  any  body  of  men, 
professional  men  excepted,  who  are  greater  readers  than  are  our 
blue-jackets  and  marines.  They  are  not  only  great  readers,  but 
they  have  a  most  retentive  memory.  To  be  convinced  that  they 
are  great  readers  you  need  but  enter  the  Naval  Hospital  in 
Brooklyn,  and  you  will  find  a  book  in  the  hand  or  near  the  bed- 
side of  every  patient  who  is  not  too  sick  to  read.  The  receiv- 
ing ship  Vermont,  in  which  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred 
men  are  always  to  be  found  awaiting  orders  to  go  to  sea  or  be 
discharged,  lies  alongside  the  Cobb  Dock  in  the  Navy-yard,  and 
the  sailors  have  on  this  dock  a  large,  commodious,  and  well- 
filled  library  and  reading-room.  Enter  this  library  any  day 
between  the  hours  of  8  a.m.  and  5  p.m.,  and  you  will  find  sitting 
about  the  tables  large  numbers  of  seamen,  all  reading  or  study- 
ing, and  not  a  word  spoken.  It  reminded  me,  when  I  first  en- 
tered this  library,  of  a  study-hall  in  college.  You  will  find 
there,  too,  a  most  courteous  librarian,  Mr.  Lowe,  whose  ap- 
pearance and  manners  would  astonish  those  who  know  not  the 
gentlemanly  bearing  of  our  seamen. 

I  have  said  that  our  seamen  are  most  retentive  readers.  The 
first  reason  for  this  is  because  they  are  men  of  intelligence,  and 
the  second  reason  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  so  few  distrac- 
tions surround  them.  Whatever  they  see  is  so  extremely  familiar 
that  it  has  ceased  to  make  an  impression  on  their  minds.  This 
is  true  of  all  things  but  the  mighty  waters  in  which  it  may  be 
said  they  move  and  live  and  have  their  being.  The  great  ocean  is 
ever  manifesting  itself  to  them  in  renewed  power,  grandeur,  and 
sublimity,  speaking  to  them  of  the  infinite  majesty  of  the  omnipo- 
tent God.  The  sentiment  of  the  divine  Psalmist  is  unconsciously 
in  their  minds  and  hearts  :  "  Wonderful  are  the  surges  of  the 
sea;  more  wonderful  is  the  Lord  on  high."  Seamen  have  a  deep 
religious  feeling.  They  are  said  to  be  very  superstitious.  The 
religious  mind  when  but  poorly  instructed  readily  becomes  super- 
stitious. Being  of  a  reverent  and  religious  turn  of  mind,  books 
treating  of  religious  matters  are  most  interesting  to  them.  They 
may  read  novels,  books  of  travel,  histories ;  but  they  never  de- 
spise a  religious  book  or  smile  at  those  who  make  such  books 
their  only  reading.  I  have  met  Catholic  sailors  whose  knowledge 
of  the  Scriptures  would  put  to  shame  men  with  pretensions  to 
learning. 

Now,  how  is  this  longing  for  reading  satisfied  ?  At  the  Naval 
Hospital,  Brooklyn,  and  at  the  Cobb  Dock  in  the  Navy-yard,  you 
will    find    libraries    from  which    the  men  may  obtain  books.     The 


io6  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

books  are  the  donations  of  Protestant  ministers,  Bible  Societies, 
Christian  Associations,  etc.  I  doubt  if  you  will  find  one  book 
donated  by  a  Catholic  individual,  society,  or  corporation.  Hence 
the  tenor  of  the  books  you  may  easily  guess.  You  may  ask  if 
there  is  any  objection  to  Catholic  books.  I  answer,  not  the 
least.  Catholic  books,  journals,  and  magazines  would  be  wel- 
comed by  the  authorities  and  read,  not  alone  by  Catholics,  but 
by  all  the  seamen,  because  travelling  to  many  lands  and  finding 
the  Catholic  Church  in  every  port,  non-Catholic  sailors  are 
naturally  interested  in  it,  and  begin  to  think  that  as  boys  they 
did  not  hear  all  that  might  be  said  of  the  old  church,  and  that 
what  they  did  hear  was  not  exactly  the  truth.  ," 

Thank  God  !  our  Catholic  blue-jackets  have  not  been  entirely 
neglected  as  far  as  this  station  is  concerned.  (There  are  five 
other  receiving  ships  in  the  navy.)  When  I  was  a  boy,  some 
twenty  years  ago,  I  often  met  on  my  way  to  or  from  school  an 
old  lady  with  a  very  old-fashioned  satchel  full  of  books  and 
pamphlets.  She  was  known  to  us  boys  as  a  tract  pedlar. 
When  I  became  a  priest  I  found  that  that  tract  pedlar  was 
still  pursuing  her  labor  of  love,  and  was  known  to  the  sailors,  and 
is  still  known  to  them,  as  the  "  Angel  of  the  Navy."  Her  tracts 
and  books  are  all  Catholic,  and  she  is  loved  by  every  blue-jacket 
with  a  love  that  is  just  a  little  less  than  the  love  he  bears  his 
own  mother.  She  carries  books  to  the  Naval  Hospital  and  re- 
ceiving ship  every  week,  gives  them  to  the  sailors,  and  exchanges 
them  when  they  are  read.  Her  noble  work  during  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century  would  make  a  most  interesting  book.  Every 
ofificer  and  man  in  the  navy,  irrespective  of  creed  or  color,  loves 
Madame  Adelaide  Beyer  and  feels  happier  the  day  her  shadow 
falls  across  his  pathway.  The  sailors  vie  with  each  other  for  the 
honor  of  carrying  her  big  satchel  as  far  as  they  may  do  so 
without  breaking  the  rules,  and  they  feel  repaid  for  their  trouble 
by  the  sweet,  girlish  smile  of  this  venerable  old  lady. 

Thus  we  see  what  our  duty  is  as  Catholics.  We  have  rich 
and  good  ground  ready  for  the  seed.  Let  us  send  books  to 
the  various  receiving  ships,  naval  hospitals,  and  barracks.  Nay 
more,  when  a  vessel  is  ready  to  go  into  commission  any  captain 
will  permit  a  shelf  to  be  put  up  somewhere  in  the  men's  quar- 
ters that  will  hold  fifteen  or  twenty  books,  and  before  the  cruise 
is  over  every  man  will  have  read  these  books,  or  one  of  them, 
and  feel  better  for  so  doing.  When  the  Mirmesota  was  going  to 
sea  ten  or  twelve  years  ago,  and  later  when  the  Greeley  relief  ex- 
pedition   was    about    to    set    out,    permission    was    obtained    by 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  107 

Madame  Beyer  for  such  a  shelf,  and  every  book  came  back  to 
her  in  good  order  but  bearing  unmistakable  indications  of  having 
been  well  read. 

Then  let  us  at  once  send  books  to  the  naval  stations.  They 
will  be  received  with  thanks  and  read  with  pleasure  and  profit. 
May  God  bless  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  and  its  glorious 
mission  !  and  if  it  does  nothing  more  than  spread  Catholic  litera- 
ture among  our  worthy,  honest-hearted,  and  brave  seamen — 
"  whose  palace  is  the  hollow  oak  and  heritage  the  sea" — it  will 
merit  the  approbation  of  every  man  who  loves  his  God  and  his 
country's  defenders. 


LETTER  FROM  REV.  CHARLES  H.  PARKS,  CHAPLAIN 

IN   THE    NAVY. 

U.  S.  S.  Philadelphia, 
Barbados,  West  Indies,  January  4,  1892. 

My  dear  Father  Elliott: 

We  arrived  here  on  Saturday,  the  2d  instant,  and  in  our 
mail — which,  by-the-by,  had  been  waiting  for  us  for  a  couple  of 
weeks — was  your  favor  of  the  7th  ult.  concerning  the  approach- 
ing Convention  of  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

I  regret  exceedingly  that  it  did  not  reach  me  sooner,  so  that 
I  might  have  had  time  to  send  you  the  letter  you  desired  for 
the  occasion.  I  trust,  though,  that  your  Convention  will  give  a 
few  minutes'  consideration  to  the  needs  of  our  sailors  in  the 
navy,  because  much  good  will  surely  come  of  it  if  the  attention 
of  our  Catholics  is  called  to  the  subject  under  such  auspi- 
cious circumstances.  It  is  in  some  respects  an  entirely  new  field 
for  our  people.  With  the  exception  of  what  has  been  done  by 
a  few  zealous  priests  of  Brooklyn,  and  some  pious  people  of 
that  city,  who  have  always  been  interested  in  the  welfare  of  our 
Catholic  sailors,  very  little  has  been  attempted  of  late  years. 

Now,  as  to  the  subject  in  hand — How  the  Press  may  be 
used  for  the  good  of  our  sailors — I  beg  leave  to  say  that  I 
could  use  a  large  number  of  good,  readable  books  among  our 
men  to  the  very  best  advantage. 

Our  modern    man-of-war's    man    is    usually   a   young    man    of 


io8  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

some  education.  Then  his  early  training  is  improved  and  devel- 
oped by  his  travel  in  foreign  countries  and  his  opportunities  of 
observation  in  his  wanderings  around  the  world.  Some  of  them 
are  quite  well  educated,  and  in  some  respects  very  clever.  They 
are  men  who  are  attracted  to  the  sea,  perhaps,  by  a  roving  dis- 
position, or  through  some  weakness  of  character  or  lack  of  self- 
control  when  on  shore.  We  have  many  of  them  in  the  service 
— bright,  splendid  fellows  with  but  a  single  fault,  or  weakness, 
perhaps,  and  that  is  an  appetite  for  intoxicating  drink.  Natur- 
ally these  men  are  fond  of  reading.  They  have  a  good  deal 
of  leisure  time  on  ship-board,  and  therefore  books  are  prized  by 
them.  It  has  been  said  of  books  that  they  are  like  true  friends, 
faithful  under  all  circumstances,  never  "  out "  when  we  knock  at 
the  door,  never  **not  at  home"  when  we  call.  In  our  gayest  or 
gravest  moods  we  may  turn  to  them  for  pleasure  or  comfort  as 
we  feel  the  need,  and  they  will  never  be  found  wanting.  All 
this  they  are  indeed  and  more  besides ;  but  it  may  be  ques- 
tioned whether  their  friendship  is  ever  more  esteemed  or  their 
value  better  understood  than  on  board  ship  and  at  sea,  when 
one  is  cut  off  from  the  world,  from  home  and  friends,  and  the 
hundred-and-one  things  that  interest  him  there  and  engage  his  at- 
tention— confined  for  weeks  or  even  months  at  a  time  to  the  nar- 
row limits  of  the  ship,  occupied  only  with  the  regular  routine  of 
daily  duties,  and  for  the  rest  thrown  largely,  during  a  portion  of 
the  day  at  least,  upon  his  own  resources  for  mental  employment. 
It  is  then  especially  that  the  seaman  is  inclined  to  value  his 
books,  and  turn  to  them  as  friends  whom  he  can  have  with  him 
always  and  everywhere,  and  who  will  never  forsake  him  no 
matter  whoever  else  or  whatever  else  may  fail.  The  value  of  a 
library  on  ship-board  can  scarcely  be  exaggerated.  In  this  re- 
spect our  good  ship  Philadelphia  (in  which  I  have  the  honor  to 
serve)  is  better  equipped  than  most  ships  of  our  navy  because, 
besides  the  regular  ship's  library  for  the  ofificers,  she  has  another 
library  for  the  ship's  company,  and  the  men  show  how  much 
they  appreciate  their  privilege  by  drawing  upon  it  liberally.  On 
other  ships  the  men  have  to  content  themselves  with  whatever 
books  or  papers — perhaps  old  newspapers,  back  numbers  of  maga- 
zines, or  novels  usually  of  a  flashy  or  worthless  character,  if 
not  absolutely  vicious— that  happen  to  drift  aboard  in  some  way 
or  other. 

I  go  into  these  details  to  show  you  to  what  advantage  I 
might  use  good  books  and  papers  in  our  service.  Our  men  are 
particularly  fond    of    books    of    travel    and    adventure,    stories    of 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  109 

war  and  battle,  histories  of  campaigns,  and  naval  engagements 
more  particularly.  Besides,  a  great  many  of  them  read  general 
history,  and  are  quite  proficient  in  general  information  ;  for  the 
rest,  books  of  romance  are  most  attractive. 

Therefore  if  I  could  have  some  books  of  history  from  a 
Catholic  stand-point,  books  of  Catholic  fiction,  as  well  as  the 
standard  and  other  healthy-toned  novels,  I  could  make  very 
good  use  of  them. 

If  our  people  knew  that  fully  one-half  of  our  sailors  in  the 
navy  are  Catholics  they  might  appreciate  more  fully  the  necessity 
of  doing  something  for  them.  I  have  great  hopes  that  after  your 
Convention  of  the  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE  Press  they  will  under- 
stand the  situation  better  than  ever  before. 

We  expect  to  be  back  in  New  York  next  June,  and  I  shall 
then  take  great  pleasure  in  calling  on  you,  dear  Father  Elliott, 
and  if  you  can  assist  me  in  supplying  good  reading  matter  to 
our  sailors  in  the  navy,  I  can  answer  for  them  that  they  will 
appreciate  the  favor  and  the  blessing  conferred  upon  them,  and 
I  need  not  assure  you  of  the  lasting  gratitude  of 

Yours  very  faithfully  in  Christ, 

Charles  H.  Parks, 
Chaplain   U.   S.  Navy. 


no  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 


THE  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE  PRESS  AND  THE  SOCIETY 
OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

BY   HON.   FRANK    MCGLOIN,    OF   NEW   ORLEANS,    LA.,    PRESIDENT   OF 

THE   SOCIETY. 

When  the  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus  roused  from  their  long 
slumber,  they  were  astounded  at  the  changes  wrought  since  last 
they  had  seen  the  light  of  day.  Had  their  sleep  been  centuries 
longer  and  extended  to  our  modern  time,  would  they  not  have 
imagined  themselves  in  a  new  world  ? 

Of  all  the  arts  man's  ingenuity  has  invoked,  for  importance 
none  can  be  compared  with  that  of  Printing.  No  other  has 
exercised  so  powerful  or  so  persistent  an  influence  upon  human 
destiny.  The  original  direct  gift  from  the  Creator  was  speech, 
one  of  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  man,  developed  subse- 
quently into  writing,  and  finally  into  the  art  of  printing.  This 
last  is  the  culmination — the  bringing  to  perfection  of  the  original 
divine  gift. 

Printing  has  been  named,  justly,  the  Art  Preservative  of  Arts. 
Indeed    it  merits    also    the  title,  Art    Preservative  of  all    Science. 

The  printer's  art  has  fostered  civilization,  and  the  most  stim- 
ulated its  growth  ;  correspondingly,  it  has  contributed  in  largest 
share  to  the  widening  and  solidifying  of  the  social  bond.  Strange 
that  there  should  be  any  to  belittle  it,  to  consider  that  the 
world  was  better  before  its  introduction.  Strange  that  men  are 
who  will  not  recognize  it  as  among  the  most  precious  of  God's 
gifts  to  humanity!  True,  it  is  by  many  sorely  misused,  and  in 
the  hands  of  the  wicked  it  proves  a  potent  instrument  of  evil. 
But  this  is  abuse,  the  ill  consequences  of  which  are  counter- 
balanced by  the  enormous  good  accomplished. 

Religion  itself  stands  indebted  to  this  art.  All  that  printing 
does  for  society  at  large,  that  same  is  it  accomplishing  for  the 
church.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  religion  in  this  day,  dis- 
charging her  sacred  functions,  or  propagating  the  faith,  without 
the  aid  of  the  printing-press. 

There  is  perhaps  no  art  which  has,  in  the  last  half  hundred 
years,  shown  such  enormous  development  as  that  of  printing. 

Leaving  out  of  consideration  commercial  and  advertising 
work,    and    confining  ourselves    to  literary    printing,  the    quantity 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  hi 

still  remains  vast,  and  it  is  every  instant  augmenting.  The 
American  Newspaper  Directory  for  1891,  published  by  G.  P. 
Rowell  &  Co.,  reports  the  number  of  publications  of  this  charac- 
ter, from  dailies  to  quarterlies,  for  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
^t  19,373.  These  periodicals  enjoy  a  combined  circulation  of 
48,856,500.  In  order  to  reach  a  just  idea  of  the  enormous  amount 
of  printed  matter  implied  in  these  figures,  it  is  necessary  to  take 
into  account  the  frequency  of  issue  of  the  publications  concerned. 
A  daily,  of  course,  puts  out  annually  365  issues;  a  weekly  52, 
and  so  on.  Calculation  on  this  line  discloses  the  startling  total 
of  four  billions,  twenty  millions,  four  hundred  and  twenty-five 
thousands  of  copies  of  journals,  magazines,  etc.,  poured  forth 
during  1891   upon  the  people  of  this  Union  and  of  Canada. 

Placing  the  united  population  of  the  two  countries,  for  the 
year  indicated,  at  67,000,000,  and  dividing  by  a  fair  average, 
five,  we  have  a  total  of  13,400,000  families.  That  a  very  large 
majority  of  these  families  are  reached  by  one  or  more  of  these 
multitudinous  publications  is  beyond  doubt.  That  they  exercise 
a  powerful  if  not  controlling  influence  upon  popular  thought  and 
conduct,  who  can  deny?  Indeed,  for  better  or  for  worse,  they 
are  the  educators  of  the  adult  masses,  who  receive  their  testi- 
mony as  to  facts  of  general  interest  and  accept  from  them 
opinions  ready  made. 

The  Catholic  Church  is  a  church  of  the  living.  It  is  in  every 
age  a  church  of  the  time  in  which  it  finds  itself.  It  is  progres- 
sive in  its  administration,  dealing  with  interests  which  are  of  the 
present ;  not  fossiliferous,  and  engaging  itself  only  with  what  is 
past  and  gone.  In  face,  therefore,  of  an  agent  or  factor  so 
potent  as  the  printing-press,  the  Catholic  Church  cannot  remain 
indifferent.  She  is,  by  force  of  her  sacred  commission,  bound  to 
deal  with  it  to  best  advantage,  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
salvation  of  souls.  The  good  that  is  in  it  she  is  in  duty  held 
to  develop ;  the  evil,  it  is  hers  to  the  utmost  to  minimize.  Thus 
far  has  the  church  made  satisfactory  progress  in  this  office  ? 
Let  us  see. 

We  have  noted  above  the  number  of  periodicals  published  in 
the  United  States  and  Canada  for  the  year  1891.  Of  the  grand 
total,  19,373,  the  publications  which  are  strictly  Catholic  number 
only  about  one  hundred  and  thirteen.  Were  comparison 
attempted  in  the  matter  of  circulation,  the  showing  would  be 
even  less  encouraging,  for  among  the  non-Catholic  publications 
are  seventy,  at  least,  whose  regular  issue  is  in  excess  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand. 


112  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

Comment  upon  these  figures  is  needless  ;  they  carry  their  own 
commentary.  They  show  that  as  yet  we  CathoHcs  have  accom- 
pHshed  comparatively  little  in  the  way  of  utilizing  the  printing- 
press,  as  a  force  either  of  offence  or  defence. 

If  we  turn  our  attention  for  a  moment  from  periodicals  to 
the  volume,  likewise  enormous,  of  book  and  pamphlet  publica- 
tions, the  showing  must  be,  if  anything,  less  consoling.  Millions 
of  novels,  histories,  treatises,  in  expensive  and  in  cheap  form,  are 
in  the  hands  of  our  reading  public,  affecting  opinion.  In  all  of 
this  literary  flood  Catholicism  has  comparatively  no  more  than 
trifling  representation. 

The  printing-press  in  this  day,  in  so  far  as  it  is  not  Catholic, 
does  exercise  an  influence  hostile  to  the  church.  Even  the  best 
disposed  of  secular  journals  have  their  columns  interspersed  with 
misrepresentations  of  Catholic  doctrine  or  history,  and  with  mat- 
ter particularly  antagonistic  to  the  fundamental  Catholic  dogma 
of  a  one,  infallible,  and  absolutely  authoritative  church.  Indeed, 
the  greater  portion  of  these  publications,  in  this  land  at  least, 
are  disseminators  of  infidel  or  Protestant  notions,  upon  most  of 
the  points  where  there  is  divergence  of  religious  opinion  among 
the  people. 

Hurtful  publications  are  not  confined  to  the  domiciles  of  non- 
Catholics  ;  they  enter  also  freely  the  homes  of  our  own  people. 
Thus  do  they  tend  not  only  to  hamper  the  spread  of  Catholic 
truth,  but  also  to  impair  or  occasionally  to  destroy  faith  among 
our  weaker  Catholic  brethren. 

Here  we  have  an  enemy  which  did  not  confront  the  church 
in  earlier  days.  The  pulpit  needs  assistance  in  order  to  over- 
power it.  Practical  Catholics  will  listen  to  the  word  of  God, 
preached  by  his  anointed  ministers,  as  all  are  in  duty  bound  to 
do.  But  how  many,  alas !  there  are  who  will  do  no  more  than 
attend  Sunday  low  Mass,  without  sermon ;  placing  themselves 
practically  beyond  the  reach  of  the  pastor's  voice.  And  the  non- 
Catholic  masses,  upon  whom  the  light  should  be  made  to  shine, 
can  they  in    first  instance  be    reached  from    the  Catholic    pulpit  ? 

God  has  disclosed  to  man  the  art  of  printing  for  noble  pur- 
poses. He  has  intended  it  to  be  a  weapon  in  the  hands  of 
religion.  If,  in  the  days  that  are  gone,  we  Catholics  have 
surrendered  it  to  the  enemy,  the  fault  lies  heavy  upon    us. 

It  is  vain  to  lament  the  past ;  let  us  rather  turn  to  the 
great  present  and  greater  future.  Are  there  signs  of  improve- 
ment? Are  our  people,  of  high  and  humble  station,  awakening 
to   the  vital    importance    of    this    matter?     May    we  hope  in    our 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  113 

day  to  see  the  church  laying  strong  hand  upon  the  printing- 
press,  and   directing  its  mighty  force  against  the  enemy. 

Despite  some  movement  noticeable  in  later  years,  despite  the 
assemblage  of  this  representative  and  most  respectable  body,  for 
our  part,  we  must  say  that,  considering  what  should  be,  all  this 
seems  a  glimmer  only  and  not  yet  the  dawn.  Our  Catholic 
magazines  and  journals  are  not  multiplying  in  due  proportion. 
Those  established  are  not  as  a  rule  growing  and  spreading  out, 
as  a  multitude  of  secular  publications  are  doing.  The  mass  of  our 
own  people  are  utterly  indifferent.  They  will  neither  subscribe 
nor  advertise  in  our  Catholic  publications.  They  will  not  (with, 
of  course,  worthy  exceptions)  contribute  to  Catholic  printing  in 
any  shape. 

Let  it  be  the  task  of  this  Convention  to  sound  a  note  of 
alarm,  to  call  our  people  up  from  their  sleep,  rather  than  to  lull 
them  by  delusive  notes  into  deeper  slumber. 

The  Apostolate  of  the  Press  is  not,  according  to  our 
judgment,  one  belonging  exclusively,  or  even  mainly,  to  the  laity. 
The  mission  of  the  press,  in  Catholic  hands,  is  akin  to  the 
preaching  of  the  Word.  It  is  my  hope  and  prediction,  as  intimated 
in  a  paper  read  before  the  late  Catholic  Congress  of  Baltimore, 
that  God  will  in  time  raise  up  great  religious  orders  to  deal 
with  this  comparatively  new  agency  effectively,  in  the  interests  of 
Holy  Church.  But  this  Apostolate  is,  and  must  always  remain, 
one  in  which  laymen  of  proper  disposition  can  and  must  take  a 
large  and  welcome  part.  It  is  one  for  the  prosecution  of  which 
they  are  most  happily  situated,  coming  as  they  do  into  constant 
and  often  intimate  contact  with  classes  to  be  reached  only  in 
this    way. 

As  representative  upon  this  floor  of  the  Society  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  New  Orleans,  I  am  expected  to  give  a  statement  of 
its  plan    of  organization  and  of  the  work  it    has  done. 

The  Society  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  founded  June  30,  1882,  has 
undertaken  in  a  humble  and  limited  way  to  assist  Mother  Church 
in  her  work ;  and  this  by  pursuit  to  an  extent  of  her  methods. 
In  the  first  place,  and  as  its  prime  work,  the  society  co-operates 
with  our  priests  in  hard  and  isolated  country  places  ;  furnishing 
these  with  pecuniary  assistance  to  enable  them  to  pursue  their 
labors  among  populations  which  otherwise  might  be  abandoned. 
Secondly,  it  helps  to  maintain  free  Catholic  schools  in  similar  lo- 
calities, thereby  contributing  to  rear  instructed  Catholic  genera- 
tions, where,  but  for  such  assistance,  many  might  be  lost.  Surely 
8 


114  ^^^  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

these  are  necessary  and  glorious  works  of  charity,  well  calculated 
to  draw  down  the  blessing  of  God  upon  all  who  favor  them,  as 
also  upon  their   families. 

But  with  these  branches  of  the  work  of  our  society,  except 
in  so  far  as  they  tend  to  provide  our  particular  spiritual  rewards 
and  inducements,  this  Convention  is  not  especially  concerned. 
We  will,  therefore,  pass  on  to  the  consideration  of  what  has 
been  done  in  the  line  of  disseminating  printed  truth.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  detailed  statement: 

"  Promises    of     the    Sacred    Heart    of   Jesus,    through     Blessed 

Margaret  Mary"  (in  English,  German,  and  French),  .  324,000 
"Litany  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,"  ....  127,780 
"One  True    Church,"    eight-page    tract,         ....  77.650 

"  All  Generations  shall    call   Me   Blessed,"  four  pages,     .         .       62,800 

"  Belief    of   the    Baptist,"    four    pages, 44.3°° 

Sermon  by  Cardinal  Gibbons,  on  "  God   the  Holy  Ghost,"  four 

pages 39'7oo 

Sermon    by     Rev.     Father   Cook,     C.SS.R.,    "  God    the    Holy 

Ghost,"  four  pages, 31.000 

"  Our  Spiritual    Desert  Places,"  eight   pages,  .         .         .         10,000 

"  One   Day  of  Rest,"  four  pages, 5,000 

Miscellaneous, 199.700 


Total, 921,950 

This  distribution,  covering  not  far  from  a  million  pieces,  has 
been  entirely  gratuitous,  nothing  being  accepted  by  way  of  pay. 
Of  the  total,  326,950  pieces  have  been  printed  since  May  17  last; 
the  increased  output  being  in  consequence  of  extra  contributions 
from  particular  members  towards  increasing  the  plant  of  type 
and  machinery. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  detailed,  the  society  issues  a 
weekly  four-page  journal  of  six  columns,  bearing  as  its  name, 
after  the  Blessed  Household  of  Nazareth,  The  Holy  Family.  This 
publication  is  not  entirely  free,  but  it  is  placed  at  a  figure  so 
low  as  to  realize  to  the  society  scarcely  more  than  sufificient  to 
defray  the  cost  of  blank  paper  with  press-work  ;  dependence 
being  had  for  other  outlay  upon  advertising  patronage.  To  in- 
dividual addresses  the  paper  is  sent,  postage  free,  for  the  small 
sum  of  fifty  cents  per  annum  ;  while  to  clubs,  schools,  etc.,  the 
charge  is  only  twenty-five  cents  for  the  fifty-two  issues  of  each 
year. 

The  contents  are  a  limited  amount  of  religiously  instructive 
and  edifying  matter,  with    much  more    of   a  generally  interesting 


The  ArosTOLATE  of  the  Press.  115 

character ;  the  purpose  of  the  latter  being  to  secure  a  reading 
from  those  who  otherwise  might  refuse  or  neglect  to  notice  the 
publication.  Besides,  in  this  day  of  omnivorous  reading,  we  con- 
sider it  in  itself  a  most  excellent  work  to  furnish  families  with 
literature  which  is  perfectly  clean.  The  fifty-two  copies  of  each 
year  actually  contain  reading  matter  in  the  aggregate  sufficient 
to  fill  exceeding  five  volumes  of  the  size  usual  in  current  book 
literature  of  our  day. 

The  purpose  in  establishing  The  Holy  Family  was  the  putting 
out  of  a  periodical  tract,  or  combination  of  tracts,  with  clean 
secular  reading,  especially  for  the  young ;  and  as  the  scheme  is 
entirely  devoid  of  any  idea  of  individual  profit,  and  the  charge 
is  merely  nominal,  we  consider  ourselves  entitled  to  place  the 
aggregate  of  issues  of  The  Holy  Family^  since  its  foundation,  to 
the  credit  of  our  Tract  Department.  As  the  present  circulation 
of  the  journal  is  between  eleven  and  twelve  thousand,  the  an- 
nual output  is  say  600,000  copies  annually  ;  and  the  total  for  five 
years  and  a  half  would  swell  the  figures  of  tract  publications 
above  given  to  great  proportions. 

It  must  prove  of  interest  to  know  that  the  Society  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  disbursed,  for  all  its  works  since  its  foundation, 
the  sum  of  $35,027.72.  Its  tracts  and  publications  have  gone 
into  every  diocese  of  the  United  States ;  and  we  have  letters 
from  bishops,  priests,  and  laics  most    gratifying. 

Members  contribute  annually  such  sum  as  their  generosity 
may  dictate ;  at  least  ten  dollars,  however,  being  necessary  to 
maintain  good  standing.  In  addition  to  the  general  reward  with 
which  the  Almighty  crowns  every  act  of  charity,  contributors 
receive  the  benefit  for  themselves  and  all  loved  ones  of  many 
holy  Masses,  which  are  being  offered  up  particularly  for  them, 
by  the  priests  who  receive  remittances  from  the  society.  Like- 
wise, the  children  in  schools  aided  pray  each  day  in  special  man- 
ner to  the  same  end  ;  and  the  monthly  Communions,  the  semi- 
monthly public  devotions,  and  the  particular  daily  prayers  of 
active  members  are  for  common  benefit.  Neither  must  we  for- 
get the  participation  of  our  members,  by  reason  of  the  society's 
efforts  in  extension  of  devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  by 
large  distribution  of  leaflets,  etc.,  in  the  many  happy  fruits  promised 
through  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  in  behalf  of  all  laboring  to  this 
pious  end.  Finally,  the  society  takes  great  care  spiritually  of  its 
dead.  To  them  it  extends,  so  long  as  they  may  be  in  Purga- 
tory, the  benefit  of  all  its  Masses,  Communions,  prayers,  and 
works  ;    and  if  members  depart  this    life  in  good   standing,    they 


ii6  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

are  entitled  to  a  high  Mass  of  Requiem  for  their  soul's  repose, 
immediately  upon  receipt  of  information  of  the  death. 

Thus  far  the  membership  of  the  society  is  principally  in 
Louisiana,  though  some  few  are  residents  of  other  States.  Men 
and  women,  and  children  who  have  made  their  first  Commu- 
nion, are  eligible  to  active  membership  ;  any  person  of  good  re- 
pute, whether  Catholic  or  not,  can  be  a  subscriber  or  honorary 
member.  His  Grace  Most  Rev.  Archbishop  Francis  Janssens  is 
honorary  President;  other  most  worthy  clergymen  are  also  mem- 
bers. I  may  add  that  our  society  has  its  own  printing-ofifice,  in 
which  its  entire  work  is  done  in  good  style. 

Upon  this  auspicious  occasion,  which  has  brought  together  so 
many  brave  and  earnest  workers  in  the  noble  cause  of  printed 
Catholic  truth  the  Society  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  its  un- 
worthy representative,  presents  a  hearty  greeting ;  and  it  extends 
to  all  associations  or  individuals  laboring  in  this  neglected  field 
best  wishes  for  their  great  and  glorious  success.  In  return,  we 
solicit  in  our  own  behalf  kind  remembrance  before  the  Throne 
of  God   in  holy   prayer. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  117 


THE  CATHOLIC   TRUTH    SOCIETY   OF  AMERICA  AND 
THE  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE  PRESS. 

BY    WILLIAM     F.    MARKOE,    OF   MINNEAPOLIS,    MINN.,    CORRESPOND- 
ING  SECRETARY. 

I  AM  invited  to  be  present  at  this  Convention  of  the  Aposto- 
late OF  THE  Press,  because  it  is  believed  that  I  am  likely  to 
be  interested  in  the  spread  of  Catholic  Truth  through  the  me- 
dium of  the. press.  Truly  there  is  nothing  in  which  I  am  more 
interested.  Upwards  of  twenty  years  ago,  when,  as  a  child,  I 
knelt  at  the  feet  of  the  great  Pope  Pius  IX.,  I  had  but  one 
petition  to  ask,  and  that  was  that  I  might  be  permitted  to 
participate  in  the  conversion  of  my  native  land,  America. 
Truly,  then,  I  "  do  long  to  personally  participate  "  in  this  great 
Convention,  for  I  perceive  in  it  the  realization  of  the  wish  of 
my  life. 

So  deeply  am  I  impressed  with  the  paramount  importance  of 
the  Apostolate  of  the  Press,  that  words  fail  me  in  which  to 
adequately  express  my  convictions.  Never,  perhaps,  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  church  was  so  glorious  a  field  open  to  the  efforts  of  her 
children  as  in  our  own  age  and  country.  America  is  but  another 
name  for  opportunity.  Here  the  church  is  as  free  as  the  wind. 
Here  has  a  great  republic  been  reared  on  the  soundest  principles 
of  Christianity.  In  the  language  of  Chief-Justice  Shea,  of  the 
Marine  Court  of  New  York :  "  Our  own  government  and  the 
laws  which  administer  it,  like  those  of  Alfred  the  Great,  are  in 
every  part — legislative,  judicial,  and  executive — Christian  in  na- 
ture, form,  and  purpose."  In  the  still  plainer  language  of  the 
illustrious  Dr.  Brownson  :  "  The  American  state  recognizes  only 
the  catholic  religion.  It  eschews  all  sectarianism,  and  none  of 
the  sects  have  been  able  to  get  their  peculiarities  incorporated 
into  its  Constitution  or  its  law.  The  state  conforms  to  what 
each  holds  that  is  catholic — that  is  always  and  everywhere  re- 
ligion ;  and  whatever  is  not  catholic  it  leaves,  as  outside  of  its 
province,  to  live  or  die  according  to  its  own  inherent  vitality 
or  want  of  vitality."  Our  own  enlightened  Archbishop  of  St. 
Paul  has  stated  the  situation  in  these  words  :  "  Americans  in 
their  hearts  desire  truth,  and  we  have  to  do  for  them  what  Paul 
did  for    the    Athenians :  '  show    them    where    the    unknown    God 


ii8  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

whom  they  worship  is.'  They  are  Cathohcs  by  instinct ;  let  us 
make  them  Cathohcs  in  fact." 

All  this  is  but  natural  if  we  reflect  upon  the  cause.  As  his 
Eminence  Cardinal  Gibbons  has  so  recently  pointed  out,  about 
nine-tenths  of  this  vast  domain  called  the  United  States  of 
America  was  originally  discovered,  explored,  settled,  and  owned 
by  Catholics.  Yet  the  last  census  report  shows  that  Catholics 
constitute  only  about  one-tenth  of  the  entire  population.  Does 
not  all  this  clearly  indicate  that  a  tremendous  responsibility 
rests  on  Catholics  ? — a  responsibility  for  which  posterity  will 
call  us  strictly  to  account.  France  and  Spain  sowed  the  seeds 
of  Catholicity  all  over  this  broad  land.  After  four  hundred 
years  that  seed  has  fructified,  bringing  forth  a  hundred-fold  ; 
and  now  the  fields  are  white  with  the  harvest,  which  awaits 
only  the  sickle  of  the  reaper.  But,  alas !  the  laborers  are 
few. 

Several  zealous  societies  are  already  doing  yeoman's  duty  in 
the  field.  Of  these  the  youngest,  though  not  the  least  (as  I  ven- 
ture to  think),  is  the  Catholic  Truth  Society  of  America.  As 
stated  in  its  prospectus,  this  society  "is  one  of  the  fruits  of  the 
Catholic  Congress  of  Baltimore,"  and  "  was  organized  March  lo, 
1890,  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  under  the  auspices  of  Archbishop 
Ireland.  Its  members  believe,  with  that  distinguished  and  pa- 
triotic prelate,  that  the  mission  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  this 
country  is  '  to  make  America  Catholic,'  but  that  her  success  in 
this  glorious  work  must  depend  in  no  small  degree  upon  the 
earnestness,  energy,  and  activity  of  the  laity.  They  believe,  also, 
that  Catholicity,  to  be  loved  and  embraced,  must  be  known  and 
understood,  and  that  there  is  a  large  field  of  labor  open  to 
Catholic  laymen  in  this  direction.  The  Catholic  Truth  Society 
has,  therefore,  been  organized  to  enable  Catholic  laymen  to  per- 
form their  share  of  the  work  in  the  dissemination  of  Catholic 
truth  and  the  encouragement  of  wholesome  Catholic  reading. 

"  The  principal  means  used  for  the  attainment  of  these  ob- 
jects are  : 

"  I.  The  publication  of  short,  timely  articles  in  the  secular 
press  (to  be  paid  for  if  necessary)  on  the  fundamental  doctrines 
of  Catholicity. 

"  2.  The  prompt  and  systematic  correction  of  misstatements, 
slanders,  or  libels  against  Catholic  truth. 

"  3.  The  promulgation  of  reliable  and  edifying  Catholic  news, 
as  church  dedications,  opening  of  asylums  and  hospitals,  the 
workings  of  Catholic  charitable  institutions,  abstracts  of   sermons, 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  119 

and  anything  calculated  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  the  vast 
amount  of  good  being  accomplished  by  the  Catholic  Church. 

"  4.  The  publication  of  pamphlets,  tracts,  and  leaflets ;  the 
circulation  of  books,  pamphlets,  tracts,  leaflets,  and  Catholic 
newspapers. 

"  5.  Occasional  public  lectures  on  topics  of  Catholic  in- 
terest. 

"  6.  Supplying  jails  and  reformatories  with  good  reading  mat- 
ter. 

"  The  affairs  of  the  society  are  managed  by  a  board  of  seven 
directors,  who  are  elected  annually,  and  hold  monthly  meetings 
for  the  transaction  of  business.  General  quarterly  meetings  are 
also  held  to  hear  reports,  papers,  and  addresses.  Any  Catholic, 
man,  woman,  or  child,  who  desires  to  aid  in  the  good  work 
according  to  his  ability  and  opportunities  may  become  a 
member  by  sending  his  name  and  address  to  '  The  Catholic 
Truth  Society  of  America,'  218  East  Third  Street,  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  together  with  the  annual  subscription  of  one  dollar  in 
advance.  A  limited  number  of  priests  can,  if  they  prefer  to  do 
so,  become  memibers  by  offering  an  annual  Mass  for  the  success 
of  the  society  instead  of  the  annual  subscription  of  one  dollar. 
Members  are  entitled  to  a  sample  copy  of  each  of  the  original 
publications  of  the  society  for  the  current  year.  They  are  also 
entitled  to  a  participation  in  all  the  Masses  and  prayers  offered 
for  the  spiritual  advantages  of  the  society." 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  Catholic  Truth  Society  of  America 
embraces  within  its  scope  nearly  all  the  works  suggested  for  con- 
sideration at  this  Convention.  It  disseminates  Catholic  Truth 
directly  through  the  secular  and  Catholic  press  ;  it  refutes  errors, 
and,  in  the  words  of  St.  Thomas,  so  aptly  quoted  by  your 
illustrious  Archbishop  of  New  York,  "  In  no  way  is  the  truth  dis- 
closed better  than  by  refuting  those  who  contradict  it  " ;  it  mails 
its  pamphlets  with  the  sender's  compliments  to  "  infidels.  Agnos- 
tics, and  old-fashioned  Protestants " ;  it  reaches  Reading  Circles, 
which  join  it  in  a  body ;  it  offers  lectures  to  those  who  have 
ears  to  hear;  it  supplies  "prisons,  reformatories,  and  hospitals" 
with  Catholic  newspapers,  periodicals,  and.  magazines ;  it  sends  its 
pamphlets,  tracts,  and  leaflets  to  the  lonely  soldier  and  settler  on 
the  outposts  of  civilization,  and  numbers  among  its  active  mem- 
bers the  Catholic  chaplains  of  the  United  States  army.  But  its 
very  life  and  essence  consist  in  working  through  the  medium  of 
the  press.  Yet  all  cannot  write,  nor  is  it  desirable  they  should. 
In    this  we  follow  the    maxim    of  the    Catholic  Truth    Society  of 


I20  The  Apostolate  gf  the  Press. 

England  :  "  For  lo  who  can  write,  io,ooo  can  subscribe  and 
100,000  can  scatter  the  seed." 

"  To  guard  against  the  danger  of  incompetent  persons  at- 
tempting too  much,  an  article  in  the  by-laws  provides  that  the 
work  of  the  society  designated  under  sections  i  and  2,  to  be 
'  official '  shall  be  done  over  the  signature  of  '  The  Catholic  Truth 
Society';  that  only  such  persons  as  the  society  shall  appoint 
shall  have  authority  to  use  this  signature,  and  that  even  they 
shall  publish  nothing  of  a  doctrinal  nature  without  first  obtain- 
ing the  sanction  of  the  reverend  censor.  It  is  evident,  therefore, 
that  this  work  cannot  be  done  '  officially  '  except  in  places  where 
there  is  a  local  branch  of  the  society,  with  a  censor  and  the 
necessary  authority.  The  individual  member  has  full  liberty, 
however,  to  work  according  to  his  'ability  and  opportunities' 
in  the  manner  his  judgment  and  inclination  may  suggest.  He 
may  write  for  the  press  over  his  own  signature  or  a  7iont  de 
plume,  disseminating  Catholic  truth,  correcting  misstatements,  and 
furnishing  edifying  Catholic  news,  always,  however,  taking  care 
not  to  compromise  the  society.  A  Catholic  who  has  the  same  re- 
gard for  the  honor  of  his  church  that  he  has  for  that  of  his 
mother  or  his  wife,  can  generally  find  the  means  to  refute  a  cal- 
umny against  her.  In  many  cases,  perhaps  a  majority,  such  re- 
futation comes  with  better  grace  and  more  effect  from  a  layman 
than  a  clergyman.  There  are  many  non-Catholics  who  believe 
the  most  absurd  statements  about  Catholic  doctrine  and  prac- 
tices, simply  because  no  one  denies  them.  Such  books  as 
Faith  of  Our  Fathers  and  Catholic  Belief  supply  all  the  in- 
formation needed  to  refute  ordinary  attacks  on  Catholicity,  and 
if  a  layman  cannot  write  for  a  newspaper  (and  who  cannot  in 
this  age  of  universal  education  ? )  he  can  still,  by  requesting  the 
editor  or  a  reporter  of  a  secular  paper  to  which  he  subscribes, 
often  secure  the  publication  of  something  particularly  appropri- 
ate or  edifying  from  the  columns  of  his  own  Catholic  paper. 
The  modern  newspaper  aims  to  please  its  subscribers,  and  is 
generally  willing  to  supply  what  it  finds  a  demand  for." 

If  he  cannot  do  this,  at  least  he  can  distribute  tracts,  attend 
the  lectures  and  brings  a  non-Catholic  friend  with  him,  carry  the 
literature  furnished  by  the  society  to  the  imprisoned,  secure  new 
members,  and  aid  the  good  work  in  countless  other  ways  ac- 
cording to  his  ^'ability''  and  "■opportunities'' 

The  Catholic  Truth  Society  of  America  has  not  failed  to  win 
the  approval  of  the  American  Hierarchy.  It  has  received  more 
than  a  score  of  earnest    letters    of    approval    and    encouragement 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  121 

from  the  cardinal,  archbishops,  and  bishops  of  the  United  States. 
Would  that  time  were  allowed  me  to  read  these  letters  glowing 
with  patriotic  zeal  and  apostolic  fervor.  They  have  been  collected* 
and  printed  in  pamphlet  form  and  are  well  worth  perusal.  Simi- 
lar letters  from  the  clergy  and  the  laity  are  beyond  computa- 
tion. 

Nor  has  the  Catholic  Truth  Society  of  America  been  idle 
during  the  twenty-two  months  of  its  existence,  as  will  appear 
from  the  following  summary  of  the  work  it  has  accomplished  : 

"Under  Section  i,  viz.:  '  The  publication  of  short,  timely  ar- 
ticles in  the  secular  press  on  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  Catho- 
licity,' "    10  articles  have  been  published. 

"  Under  Section  2,  viz.:  '  The  prompt  and  systematic  correc- 
tion of  misstatements,  slanders,  and  libels  against  the  Catholic 
truth,'  "  50  articles  have   appeared. 

"  Under  Section  3,  viz.:  '  The  promulgation  of  reliable  and 
edifying  Catholic  news  calculated  to  spread  a  knowledge  of  the 
vast  amount  of  good  being  accomplished  by  the  Catholic 
Church,'  "  131  articles  have  been  published.  If  we  reflect  that 
these  articles  have  appeared  in  the  daily  papers  with  a  circula- 
tion varying  from  15,000  to  40,000  each,  it  is  evident  that  the 
total  number  runs  up  into  the  millions.  Surely  some  of  the  seed 
so  liberally  sown  must  have  fallen  on  good    ground. 

"  Under  Section  4,  viz.:  '  The  publication  of  pamphlets,  tracts, 
and  leaflets,'  "  130,600  copies  of  original  matter  have  been 
published. 

"Under  Section  5,  viz.:  '  Occasional  public  lectures  on  topics 
of  Catholic  interest,'  "  8  lectures  have  been    delivered. 

"  Under  Section  6,  viz. :  '  Supplying  jails  and  reformatories 
with  good  reading  matter,'  "  about  1,520  Catholic  newspapers, 
periodicals,  magazines,  and  pamphlets  have  been  distributed.  By 
this  means  at  least  one  convert  whose  name  I  could  mention 
has  been  brought  into  the  church,  and  many  others  have  been 
confirmed  in  their  faith,  which  was  wavering.  The  above  figures 
do  not  include  the  work  done  by  affiliated  branches,  of  which 
there  are  six,  as  follows :  Worcester,  Mass.  ;  Newark,  N.  J.  ; 
Winona,  Minn.  ;  Minneapolis,  Minn. ;  Winnipeg,  Man.  ;  and  Ot- 
tawa, Canada.  The  latter  two,  though  affiliating  with  the  Catho- 
lic Truth  Society  of  England,  have  used  our  Constitution  and 
By-laws  in  organizing,  taken  membership  with  us,  and  propose 
to  use  our  literature  as  far  as  applicable  in  Canada. 

The  original  series  of  pamphlets  published  by  the  society  con- 
sists of  fourteen  numbers,  as  follows  : 


122  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

No.   I.    "  Refutation  of  Some  Calumnies  Against  the  Church," 
by  Rev.  J.  C.  Byrne. 

•       No.  2.     "Vail    Burgess    Debate,"    by    Roger    Vail,    Esq.,    and 
Rev.  O.  F.  Burgess. 

No.  3.    "  How  Catholics  Come  to  be  Misunderstood,"   by  Rev. 
Thomas  O'Gorman,  D.D. 

No.  4.    "  Who  Can  Forgive  Sins,"    by  Rev.  Patrick   Danehy. 

No.  5.     "Church  or  Bible,"    by  Rev.  Arnold  Damen,  S.J. 

No.  6.    "The  Catholic  Church  and  the    American    Republic," 
by  William  F.  Markoe,  Esq. 

No.  7.  "  Sacrificial  Worship  Essential  to  Religion,"  by  Rev. 
P.  R.  Heffron,  D.D. 

No.  8.  "  The  Catholic  Pages  of  American  History,"  by  Hon. 
J.  L.  McDonald. 

No.  9.  "  Our  Rights  and  Duties  as  Catholics  and  as  Citizens," 
by  William  J.  Onahan. 

No.   10.    "Agnosticism,"    by  Right  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding,  D.D. 

No.  II.  "On  the  Condition  of  Labor — Encyclical  Letter  of 
Pope  Leo  XHL" 

No.   12.    "Purgatory,"  by  Rev.  Henry  A.  Brann,  D.D. 

No.   13.    "  Miracles,"  by  Rev.  John  Gmeiner. 

No.  14.  "  The  Conservative  Power  of  Catholicity,"  by  Conde 
B.  Fallen,   Esq. 

Also  leaflets  entitled  :  "  Some  Things  Catholics  Do  Not  Be- 
lieve"; "  Catholic  Converts,  or  All  Roads  Lead  to  Rome " ; 
Dr.  Spalding's  Farewell  Address  ;  "  A  Fearful  Responsibility  "  ; 
"Astounding  Admissions";  and  a  brochure  of  175  pages,  called 
"  Rational  Religion,"  by  Rev.  John  Conway. 

The  plan  adopted  by  the  society  in  publishing  this  special 
original  literature,  briefly  stated,  is  as  follows : 

Pamphlets,  tracts,  and  leaflets  are  solicited  from  the  ablest 
ecclesiastics  and  laymen  whom  the  society  can  interest  in  its 
work  without  pecuniary  remuneration ;  and  furnished  to  all  its 
members  and  afifiliated  branches  at  a  nominal  price,  based  on  the 
cost  of  an  electrotype  edition  of  not  less  than  10,000  copies.  It 
trusts  to  the  annual  initiation  fee  of  its  members,  and  the  energy 
of  its  local  branches  throughout  the  country,  to  meet  the  neces- 
sary outlay  and  dispose  of  the  pamphlets.  The  slight  profit 
that  may  then  remain  is  used  in  distributing  them  gratis  among 
non-Catholics  where  they  will  do  the  most  good.  It  is  evident 
that,  if  we  had  100,000  members,  we  could  flood  the  land  with 
Cathohc  literature  almost  gratis. 

Though  we  have  at  present  only  781  members,  we  count  these 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  123 

willing  workers  in  every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union,  in 
Canada,  i  1  Belgium,  Europe,  and  in  tlie  Hawaiian  Islands.  The 
work  of  the  society  is  entirely  gratuitous ;  not  one  cent  of  salary 
or  pecuniary  remuneration  of  any  kind  being  paid  to  any  of  its 
officers  or  members.  And  }'et,  with  the  utmost  economy,  it  is 
unable  to  accomplish  all  the  work  that  presents  itself.  What  it 
most  needs  is  co-operation.  It  interferes  with  no  other  existing 
society  in  the  church  ;  and,  as  the  child  of  the  Catholic  Congress 
of  America,  it  would  seem  to  be  justly  entitled  to  the  aid  and 
hearty  co-operation  of  all  other  Catholic  organizations.  With  a 
"  strong  pull,  a  long  pull,  and  a  pull  all  together  "  untold  results 
would  seem  to  be  within  reach. 

This,  as  I  understand  it,  is  the  chief  aim  of  this  Convention, 
namely,  to  unite  all  the  societies  here  present  in  such  bonds  of 
fellowship  that  while  each  is  doing  its  utmost  within  its  own 
proper  sphere,  all  shall  be  working  in  perfect  harmony  together 
for  the  attainment  of  one  grand  common  end — the  conversion 
of  America! 

I  discover  a  particularly  happy  omen  in  the  fact  that  this  great 
movement  is  under  the  leadership  of  what  I  may  call  our  own 
American  Order,  the  product  of  our  own  soil — the  Paulist  Fath- 
ers. Their  very  name  is  suggestive  of  their  mission  and  the  Apos- 
late  of  the  Press.  For,  as  St.  Paul,  when  once  converted,  be- 
came the  most  zealous  of  the  Apostles,  so  the  American  con- 
vert, once  he  sees  the  light  of  faith,  becomes  the  most  active 
for  the  salvation  of  his  brethren.  St.  Paul,  too,  may  justly  be 
called  the  "  Patron  of  the  Press  "  :  "  For  his  epistles  indeed,  say 
they,  are  weighty  and  strong"  (ii.  Cor.  x.  10);  and  through 
those  epistles  and  the  press  he  has  been  preaching  to  the  world 
ever  since. 

Another  good  omen  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  this  Convention 
has  begun  its  first  session  on  the  Feast  of  the  Epiphany,  the 
day  on  which  Christ  was  first  made  manifest  to  the  Gentiles. 

Yes,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  my  Catholic  fellow-countrymen ! 
"  coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before  "  ;  and,  if  I  read  the 
signs  of  the  times  aright,  we  are  on  the  very  threshold  of  a  new 
and  glorious  era  in  the  history  of  Catholicity.  There  is  a  grand 
awakening  all  along  the  line.  The  whole  world  is  about  to 
unite  with  us  in  commemorating  a  great  Catholic  event — the 
discovery  of  America  by  the  heroic  Catholic,  Christopher  Colum- 
bus. If  the  various  societies  here  to-day  are  only  true  to  their 
mission ;  if  the  "  Ignis  Ardens "  predicted  by  St.  Malachy  is 
really  about  to  dawn  on  the  horizon,  and  to    inflame    the    whole 


124  The  Apostolate  of  the  Phess. 

world  with  religious  zeal  and  apostolic  ardor,  oh !  then, 
surely,  my  friends,  it  is  not  too  much  to  pray  and  hope  that 
our  own  country  will  receive  its  full  share  of  the  light  ;  and 
that,  before  another  decade  shall  have  passed  away,  America 
will  be  in  fact  what  she  is  already  by  pre-emption,  by  tradition, 
and  by  instinct — a  truly  Catholic   land ! 

It  may  be  only  a  vision  :  but  I  see  a  luminous  cross  amid 
the  stars  and  stripes  !  The  prayer  of  Columbus,  the  "  Christ- 
Bearer,"  has  been  heard  in  heaven  :  "  God  zvills  it ";  and  the 
conversion  of  a  contifient  is  close  at  hand ! 

William  F.  Markoe, 
Cor.  Sec.  Catholic   Truth  Society  of  America. 


PARISH  LIBRARIES. 

BY     REV.     JOSEPH     H.     MCMAHON,   DIRECTOR   OF    THE     CATHEDRAL 
LIBRARY,    NEW   YORK. 

Parish  libraries,  as  the  name  indicates,  are  intended  primarily 
for  the  use  of  the  people  in  the  respective  parishes  to  which 
they  belong.  They  will  consequently  differ  from  one  another  as 
the  circumstances  of  the  parishes  differ.  As  the  conditions  of 
life  in  the  city  parish  are  different  from  those  in  village  or 
country  parishes,  the  needs  of  the  people  are  consequently  some- 
what diverse  ;  and  since  parish  libraries  are  formed  with  a  view 
to  meeting  the  wants  of  the  people  directly  concerned,  the  dif- 
ferent circumstances  of  parishes  will  prevent  a  homogeneity  in 
their  libraries.  The  most  pressing  need  for  a  parish  library  will, 
I  think,  be  found  to  exist  in  rural  rather  than  in  urban  par- 
ishes, because  in  cities  there  is  more  indifference  to  religion,  and 
consequently  less  religious  reading,  than  in  country  districts, 
where  the  people  are  more  earnest  and  where  religious  discus- 
sions are  much  more  frequent,  and  where  consequently  there  will 
be  more  demand  for  books  bearing  on  religious  subjects,  such 
as  parish  libraries  are  intended  chiefly  to  furnish.  Rut  setting 
aside  the  different  complexions  that  libraries  will  assume  from 
their  surroundings,  let  us  say  something  about  their  general  im- 
portance and  about  the  methods  upon  which  they  shall  be 
conducted. 

The  importance  of  parish  libraries  is  attested  extrinsically    by 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Phess.  125 

the  recommendation  made  by  the  bishops  in  the  Third  Plenary 
Council  of  Baltimore,  when  they  urged  on  rectors  the  formation 
of  such  libraries.  The  intrinsic  importance  of  them  is  found  in 
the  necessity  we  are  under  of  counteracting  the  evil  literature  of 
the  day  whilst  satisfying  the  craving  for  reading,  which  is  a 
distinctive  characteristic  of  our  times.  There  is  need  of  Catholic 
parochial  libraries,  although  such  need  may  not  at  once  appear 
in  places  where  there  are  large  public  libraries.  That  need  arises 
from  two  chief  reasons  :  First,  because,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  we 
may  make,  Catholic  literature,  and  especially  Catholic  religious 
literature,  will  never  be  adequately  represented  on  the  shelves  of 
any  public  library.  Whatever  efforts  are  made  to  secure  such 
representation  in  those  libraries  are  good  and  to  be  continued, 
not  so  much  for  Catholics  as  for  non-Catholic  inquirers,  because 
the  books  that  will  be  placed  in  such  libraries  by  reason  of  our 
representation  will  be  books  that  are  remarkable  as  works  of 
literature  rather  than  as  religious  works.  There  would  be  no 
difificulty,  for  instance,  in  having  Newman's  works  introduced  in- 
to any  public  library,  but  we  are  doubtful  whether  the  same 
library  would  admit  the  writings  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  for  in- 
stance, or  the  Quarterly  Series  of  the  Lives  of  the  Saints,  or 
our  controversial  works,  or  even  our  edition  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment or  of  the  Following  of  Christ.  Similarly,  while  there  would 
be  no  difficulty  whatever  in  getting  Pere  Didon's  Life  of  Christ 
placed  in  circulation,  we  fancy  that  there  would  be  considerable 
objection  made  to  the  introduction  of  the  Life  of  Our  Lord,  by 
Father  Coleridge.  Since  Catholics  need  to  have  the  growth  of 
their  spiritual  life  fostered  by  distinctively  spiritual  reading,  we 
fancy  that  that  desideratum  could  not  be  obtained  by  the  fre- 
quentation  of  public  secular  libraries.  There  is  a  stronger  ne- 
cessity, however,  for  parish  libraries  in  the  fact  that  it  is  a 
part  of  the  pastoral  office  to  control  the  reading  of  parishioners. 
The  wise  laws  of  the  church  with  regard  to  the  reading  of  dan- 
gerous and  heretical  works  are  very  much  neglected  in  our 
country.  There  is  so  much  latitude  in  reading  tacitly  allowed  to 
our  people  that  there  seems  to  be  no  effort  made  to  check  read- 
ing that  is  certainly  prohibited.  For  example,  not  many  weeks 
ago  a  certain  evening  newspaper  in  this  city  published  a  most 
blasphemous  Christmas  sermon  from  the  pen  of  a  noted  infidel. 
That  paper  found  its  way  into  the  hands  of  thousands  of  young 
Catholics  who  certainly  read  it  with  avidity,  and  yet  the  priest 
who  would  presume  to  condemn  the  reading  of  such  a  paper 
and  try  to  exclude  it  from  decent  Catholic  households,  would  be 


126  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

made  a  target  for  all  sorts  of  ridicule,  would  be  condemned  as 
imprudent,  and  pronounced  a  fanatic,  a  bigot,  a  man  of  narrow 
mind,  etc.,  and  would  be  told  that,  like  the  child  at  the  sea- 
shore, "  he  was  trying  to  empty  the  ocean  with  a  shell."  Never- 
theless, the  duty  of  Catholics  in  the  matter  is  plain.  A  paper 
that  openly  boasts  that  it  will  print  such  sermons  as  often  as  it 
chooses,  making  itself  the  mouth-piece  of  a  blasphemous  infidel, 
should  certainly  be  repudiated  by  every  Catholic. 

The  parish  library  forms  an  admirable  means  by  which  the 
pastor  may  more  carefully  supervise  the  reading  of  those  en- 
trusted to  his  care.  Such  supervision,  of  course,  will  be  more 
thorough,  as  well  as  more  easy,  in  rural  parishes  than  in  those  of 
a  large  city  like  this,  because  in  the  country  districts  or  in  extra 
urban  districts  the  parish  organization  is  generally  more  com- 
plete and  thorough  than  we  can  ever  hope  to  see  it  in  a  city. 
But  with  all  this,  the  library  of  a  city  parish  can  also  be  made 
to  do  untold  good  in  that  direction.  In  the  first  place,  it  will 
prevent  most  if  not  all  the  younger  portion  of  the  parish  from 
going  to  seek  their  reading  at  the  hands  of  public  or  denomina- 
tional corporations.  It  will  thus  prevent  them  from  having  an 
indiscriminate  variety  of  books  from  which  to  choose,  and  will 
prevent  the  dangers  which  naturally  accompany  the  unrestrained 
selection  of  books  by  young  people.  Care  should,  therefore,  be 
taken  that  the  character  of  the  readmg  of  the  books  in  a  parish 
library  be  such  as  to  afford  ample  range  for  all  tastes  and  in- 
clinations. Here,  I  think,  is  where  a  great  mistake  has  been 
made  in  many  parish  libraries — a  mistake  which  will  account  for 
the  failure  of  some  that  were  flourishing  institutions  in  our  child- 
hood. The  books  were  not  chosen  in  a  liberal  spirit.  The  Old- 
World  prejudice  against  everything  that  bore  the  name  of  a 
novel  seems  to  have  dominated  in  the  selection  of  books.  The 
principal  titles  in  the  fiction-lists  of  libraries  that  we  were  ac- 
quainted with  in  our  youth  were  those  unsuited  to  the  Ameri- 
can character — weak  translations  of  poor  French  Sunday-school 
stories,  or  tedious  controversial  novels.  The  uncouth  appearance 
of  these  books  also  told  against  them  in  the  minds  of  youthful 
readers,  who  preferred  to  browse  among  the  shelves  of  secular 
libraries  where  there  was  a  plentiful  supply  of  exciting  fiction 
prettily  tricked  out  in  handsome  bindings  and  good  printing.  It 
may  be  an  idiosyncrasy,  but  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  me- 
chanical appearance  of  books  issued  from  the  Catholic  press  in 
this  country  can  account  in  a  great  degree  for  the  lack  of  read- 
ers of  Catholic  literature. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  127 

For  a  parish  library  to  be  at  all  successful  in  meeting  the 
requirements  of  a  Catholic  people  of  any  part  of  this  country 
the  selection  of  books  requires  to  be  made  upon  broad  lines,  in- 
cluding all  that  is  good,  much  even  that  is  indifferent,  and  rigidly 
excluding  only  that  which  is  positively  bad.  The  parochial  library, 
for  example,  that  pretends  to  have  a  department  of  English  liter- 
ature can  scarcely  exclude  English  poets,  like  Lord  Byron  of 
modern  times  or  Shakspere  of  older  days,  because  many  pas- 
sages in  them  are  entirely  unfit  for  youthful  readers.  Rather 
than  exclude  such  books  from  a  library,  the  better  plan  would 
be  to  exercise  a  careful  surveillance  over  the  circulation  of 
them,  preventing  them  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  those  who 
are  incapable  of  profiting  by  them,  or  of  those  who  would  be 
certainly  injured  by  their  reading.  It  is  difificult  to  see  how  any 
hard  and-fast  lines  can  be  drawn  in  this  matter,  because  the 
reason  that  would  exclude  Shakspere  has  been  urged  against 
the  Old  Testament,  and  there  are  certain  books  professedly  reli- 
gious which  are  included  in  every  parish  library  that  in  the 
opinion  of  some  are  more  hurtful,  as  far  as  the  delicate  matter 
of  purity  is  concerned,  than  would  be,  for  example,  the  lewd 
passages  in  Shakspere.  In  our  library,  while  giving  the  largest 
latitude  in  reading,  we  have  tried  to  prevent  any  injury  to  the 
usefulness  of  the  library  from  this  side,  by  endeavoring  to  sup- 
ply youthful  readers,  or  those  who  read  simply  for  pleasure, 
with  expurgated  editions  which  are  entirely  unobjectionable, 
while  keeping  the  complete  editions  for  those  whom  we  judge  to 
be  capable  of  reading  them  to  good  purpose.  This  plan  will  not,  of 
course,  meet  with  the  approval  of  litterateurs,  but  literary  canons 
must  perforce  yield  to  the  canons  of  good  morals.  Neither  can 
a  hard-and-fast  line  be  drawn  in  the  matter  of  fiction.  Several 
worthy  people  have  been  surprised  at  the  appearance  on  our 
list  of  the  works  of  George  Eliot,  thinking  it  strange  to  find 
her  name  among  the  authors  in  a  library  that  is  distinctively 
Catholic.  We  think  the  criticism  that  would  exclude  such 
writers  from  a  library  is  the  wrong  kind  of  criticism,  and  if 
carried  out  would  result  practically  in  more  harm  than  good. 
These  books  are  talked  of  by  any  one  who  has  any  pretension  to 
education.  They  will  be  read  by  them  in  spite  of  any  precau- 
tion that  we  can  take,  and  in  our  opinion  it  is  much  better  to 
have  them  on  the  shelves  for  free  inspection  than,  by  excluding 
them,  to  excite  the  morbid  curiosity  which  will  persist  in  finding 
out  the  reason  why. 

The  remedy  lies  in    teaching    our    people  how  to  discriminate 


128  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

between  what  is  good  and  what  is  evil  in  George  EHot  and  in 
other  writers  of  her  class,  and  being  informed  thoroughly  as  to 
the  evil.  They  can  then  read  without  any  deleterious  effects.  I 
have  not  found  many  persons  who  have  been  injured  by  reading 
George  Eliot's  novels.  I  have  found  many  more  who  have  been 
injured  by  reading  novels  that  are  admitted  without  question  to 
almost  every  Catholic  library,  and  which  possess  neither  the 
genius  of  Eliot,  nor  her  depth  of  thought,  nor  her  beauty  of 
expression  to  commend  them.  It  has  been  my  experience  that 
less  harm  is  done  by  George  Eliot  than  by  such  writers  as  May 
Agnes  Fleming,  Mrs.  Holmes,  and  a'  score  of  others  whose 
names  you  can  iind  on  almost  every  library  list.  The  same 
persons  who  object  to  George  Eliot  would  be  surprised  if  they 
did  not  find  the  novels  of  Walter  Scott  on  our  shelves.  To  my 
mind  there  is  more  harm  to  be  anticipated  from  the  errors  and 
calumnies  in  the  pages  of  Scott's  fascinating,  descriptive  novels 
than  from  the  materialism  concealed  in  the  ponderous  periods  of 
George  Eliot.  The  healthy  Catholic  mind  will  in  every  case 
shake  off  the  poison. 

In  my  opinion,  too,  the  intellectual  dangers  of  novel-reading 
have  been  much  exaggerated.  I  have  found  many  whose  morals 
have  been  hurt  by  novels,  but  I  have  had  very  few  people  who 
complained  that  their  faith  or  their  religious  opinions  had  been 
shattered  by  the  perusal  of  the  novels  of  the  day.  It  is  not 
wise  to  apply  puritanical  tastes  in  the  selection  of  fiction.  If  we 
did  we  should  have  to  exclude  many  professedly  Catholic  stories 
the  moral  of  which  seems  to  be  that  one  should  always  marry 
his  cousin,  heedless  of  the  canonical  impediments  to  such  mar- 
riages. 

These  few  reflections  will  show  the  difificulties  in  the  way  of 
any  one  who  tries  to  build  up  a  library  suited  to  the  needs  of 
the  people  of  the  present  day.  In  steering  clear  of  Scylla  we 
are  pretty  sure  to  run  upon  Charybdis.  In  our  selection  hitherto 
we  have  been  fairly  successful.  We  have  made  mistakes,  espe- 
cially in  admitting  books  of  travel  written  by  unfriendly  authors. 
But,  whenever  these  mistakes  were  called  to  our  attention,  we 
have  re-examined  the  matter  in  dispute,  and  have  decided  as  to 
its  retention  or  rejection  on  the  broadest  grounds  consistent  with 
moral  rectitude. 

A  third  reason  for  the  necessity  of  parish  libraries  is,  that 
they  help  materially  to  foster  the  parochial  spirit  among  the  peo- 
ple. The  library  brings  them  into  closer  relations  with  the  paro- 
chial organization,  and  consequently  keeps  alive  the    local    parish 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  129 

pride,  which  is  a  great  stimulus  to  the  parochial  life.  Many  of 
the  young  people  in  the  parish  become  interested  in  the  active 
work  of  the  library,  which  is  usually  all  performed  by  volunteers. 
It  is  highly  gratifying  to  find  how  many  will  give  their  time  and 
labor  to  do  what  is  really  hard  work,  and  to  observe  the  pride 
they  take  in  the  success  of   their  zealous  efforts. 

The  poor  are  especially  the  beneficiaries  of  a  parochial  library, 
and  it  is  easy  to  understand  how  grateful  many  a  young  urchin 
feels  for  many  happy  hours  passed  revelling  in  the  charming 
pages  of  Munchausen  or  Grimm,  or  devouring  the  vivid  im- 
aginings of  the  Arabian  Nights.  That  gratitude  may  serve  to 
bind  him  to  his  parish  and  to  his  church,  where  all  other  links 
of  connection  might  have  failed. 

A  fourth  reason  for  the  necessity  of  parish  libraries  is  the 
need  that  every  priest  feels  of  having  somewhere  to  send,  not 
only  his  penitents  but  those  who  come  to  him  for  advice — some 
place  where  they  can  get  the  books  he  usually  has  to  recom- 
mend either  for  their  own  spiritual  guidance  or  for  their  infor- 
mation. In  the  case  of  those  seeking  to  become  members  of 
the  church,  this  advantage  can  scarcely  be  exaggerated.  Hence 
the  controversial  department  of  a  parish  library  is  one  of  its 
most  important  features.  Where  parish  libraries  do  not  exist 
the  priests  are  constrained  to  make  lending  libraries  of  their  own 
slender  stock  of  books,  and  as  book-borrowers  are  proverbially 
forgetful,  many  a  priest  has  to  bewail  the  loss  of  volumes  that 
his  depleted  treasury  will  not  allow  him  to  replace,  and  to  sigh 
for  the  existence  of  some  organization  which  would  cheerfully 
lend  books,  but  would  get  them  back  by  unremittingly  reminding 
the  borrower  of  the  obligation  to  return  other  people's  property. 

As  to  the  methods  of  conducting  a  parish  library,  there  will  no 
doubt  be  tot  sententice  quot  capita,  every  parish  usually  adopting  its 
own  system.  This  is  unfortunate,  as  it  would  be  very  much  to 
the  interests  of  Catholic  libraries  all  over  the  country  if  some 
uniform  system  could  be  adopted  and  carried  out,  because  then 
in  many  cases  libraries,  even  at  a  distance  from  one  another, 
could  become  mutually  helpful.  We  shall  not  discuss  the  inter- 
nal arrangement  of  the  library  in  the  method  of  classification, 
numbering,  shelving,  etc.,  as  that  belongs  rather  to  general 
library  literature.  In  our  library  we  have  adopted  the  system 
invented  by  Mr.  Schwartz,  of  the  Apprentice's  Library  in  this 
city,  a  system  that  we  find  highly  convenient  for  the  peculiar 
nature  of  the  work  that  a  large  parish  circulating  library  has  to 
do.  But  the  most  important  question  to  be  discussed  is,  whether 
9 


130  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

it  is  better  to  have  parish  libraries  entirely  free,  or  to  make  an 
annual,  even  though  it  be  a  slight,  charge  for  the  use  thereof. 
Our  practice,  after  careful  consideration  and  a  practical  experience 
of  four  years,  has  been  to  discontinue  any  charge  for  the  use  of 
the  library.  For  in  our  opinion  one  of  the  main  reasons  for  the 
existence  of  the  library  is  to  continue  the  work  of  education  be- 
gun in  the  school.  Consequently,  we  must  reach  the  poorest 
classes  of  the  parish  as  well  as  those  in  the  ascending  scale. 
Any  charge,  no  matter  how  slight,  will  restrict  the  use  of  the 
library  to  those  who  are  able  to  afford  the  luxury  of  paying  for 
their  books.  Consequently  a  large  number  in  every  parish  will 
be  inevitably  shut  out  from  the  advantages  that  come  from  the 
use  of  the  library.  I  say  a  large  number,  because  even  though 
the  number  of  the  extreme  poor  in  our  parishes  be  small  (I  know 
of  only  one  in  this  city  where  it  is  small),  yet  the  number  of 
those  who  have  just  enough  to  live  upon  without  indulging  in 
any  luxuries  for  which  they  have  to  pay  is  usually  very  great. 
These  people,  who  would  be  most  benefited  by  the  library,  are 
deprived  of  its  advantages  because  they  are  not  able  to  afford 
to  pay  any  charge.  They  find  it  hard  enough  to  give  fo*-  the 
support  of  the  church.  In  our  opinion,  it  is  much  better  to  de- 
vise some  way  by  which  the  library  can  be  maintained  other 
than  that  of  any  tax  which  would  restrict  its  use.  There  are 
various  ways  in  which  this  can  be  done.  We  have  found  that 
those  people  who  would  be  members  of  the  library  in  the  event 
of  an  annual  subscription  are  always  ready  and  willing  to  give, 
and  to  give  generously,  if  ever  any  general  appeal  be  made  for 
that  institution.  In  this  way  those  who  are  able  support  the 
library  without  feeling  the  burden  ;  while  those  to  whom  it 
would  be  a  burden  can  freely,  and  without  any  appearance  of 
charity,  take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  afforded  by  the 
library. 

While  we  are  on  this  question  of  money,  let  me  say  that  we 
Catholics  in  this  city  of  New  York  have  been  very  slow  to  take 
advantage  of  what  is  really  a  generous  inducement  held  out  by 
the  laws  of  this  State  as  concerning  this  city.  The  library  law 
of  which  I  speak  directs  that  every  free,  public  circulating 
library  in  this  city  that  shall  possess  1 0,000  volumes,  that  shall 
own  real  estate  to  the  value  of  $20,000,  and  that  shall  in  the 
year  prior  to  its  application  have  circulated  at  least  75,000  vol- 
umes, can,  on  application  to  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Appor-* 
tionment,  receive  an  appropriation  of  $5,000  from  the  Excise 
moneys    of   the    city.     The    Protestant    Episcopalians,    under    the 


The  Apostolate  oe  the  Press.  131 

name  of  the  New  York  Free  Circulating  Library,  and  the 
Jews,  under  the  name  of  the  Aguilar  Free  Circulating  Library, 
have  been  quick  to  avail  themselves  of  the  offer  made  by  this 
law.  The  former  association  receives  every  year  $12,000  or 
more  from  the  excise  money  of  this  city.  Now  as,  unfortunately, 
most  of  the  excise  money  comes  from  Catholic  sources,  it  is 
scarcely  right  that  we  should  allow  it  to  be  sent  entirely  to  those 
who  are  not  of  our  faith,  and  who  take  care  in  the  books  they 
place  in  their  library  to  exclude  almost  everything  that  would  be 
favorable  to  our  church  and  our  religion.  It  would  not  be  a 
difficult  matter  for  the  Catholic  parochial  libraries  in  this  city  to 
combine  and  form  one  corporation  in  order  to  secure  the  com- 
mon good.  With  the  approbation  of  the  Most  Rev.  Archbishop 
of  New  York,  we  have  formed  the  Cathedral  Library  Association 
with  a  view  to  this  end,  his  Grace  kindly  consenting  to  be  the 
president  of  that  association.  Before  making  active  efforts  to 
spread  this  association  among  other  parishes  than  ours,  we  have 
tried  in  our  own  library  to  secure  the  needed  conditions,  and  we 
are  glad  to  say  that  after  an  experience  of  four  years,  beginning 
with  nothing,  we  have  been  able  to  reach  one  of  the  conditions, 
and  possess  on  our  shelves  now  more  than  the  10,000  volumes  re- 
quired by  the  law.  We  expect  soon  to  have  the  second  condi- 
tion, and,  with  God's  help,  we  shall  have  the  third  within  a  very 
short  time.  The  advantage  of  co-operation  on  the  part  of  other 
parochial  libraries  with  ours  in  this  work  would  be  that  smaller 
parishes,  which  could  never  expect  to  possess  the  required  num- 
ber of  volumes,  could  have  free  access  to  our  shelves  by  a  system 
of  mutual  loaning,  such  as  exists  between  the  central  organization 
of  the  New  York  Free  Circulating  Library  and  its  branches. 
The  organic  bond  between  the  libraries  would  be  membership  in 
this  organization,  the  director  of  each  library  to  be  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  governing  the  association.  In  this  way 
all  the  parish  libraries  could  be  made  absolutely  free  ;  and,  by 
advancing  a.  small  outlay,  within  one  year  sufficient  money  could 
be  obtained  lawfully  from  the  State  to  compensate  for  this  out- 
lay and  to  provide  for  the  current  expenses.  We  hope,  too,  by 
means  of  this  association  to  be  able  to  establish  in  New  York 
for  the  use  of  the  people  a  Catholic  Reference  Library  which 
will  be  worthy  of  our  people  and  of  our  city.  The  plan  is  al- 
ready prepared,  and  if  everything  progresses  favorably  will  soon 
be  placed  in  operation. 

Finally,    I  would    say   that  the    parish    schools    afford  a    great 
means    for     developing    the    work    of    the    parish    library.     The 


132  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

trouble  with  our  children  is  not  that  they  do  not  read,  but  that 
they  have  not  the  proper  guidance  in  their  reading.  It  is  not 
the  point  to  discuss  here  why  they  have  not  proper  guidance, 
but  the  fact  remains  that  they  are  left  very  much  to  themselves, 
and  consequently  the  results  are  not  at  all  satisfactory.  In  one 
parish  that  I  know  of  an  attempt  is  made  to  guide  the  children 
by  placing  within  the  reach  of  each  class  only  a  certain  number 
of  books  from  which  to  choose.  My  objection  to  this  is  that  it 
does  not  properly  train  the  children  to  become  the  choosers  of 
their  books  when  they  have  been  emancipated  from  the  ferule, 
and  furthermore  that  it  does  not  give  the  children  the  proper 
range  in  their  reading.  It  is  a  difificult  task  to  pick  out  the 
hundred  best  books  in  English  literature,  but  it  is  still  a  more 
difficult  task  to  pick  out  for  each  class  the  dozen  or  more  books 
for  the  children  in  that  class.  Yet  if  the  books  presented  to 
these  children  are  not  the  best  for  them  where  will  be  the  bene- 
fit in  cramping  the  desire  of  the  children's  mind  for  expansion  ? 
The  proper  plan,  it  seems  to  me,  would  be  for  the  teachers  to 
be  somewhat  familiar  with  general  literature,  and  particularly 
with  the  special  literature  of  the  special  subjects  that  they  teach, 
and  to  pursue  in  their  classes  the  method  that  is  pursued  by 
the  Reading  Circles  throughout  the  country,  suggesting  to  the 
children  in- what  books  and  at  what  places  in  those  books  they 
will  iind  matter  bearing  upon  the  subject-matter  of  their  respec- 
tive studies,  so  that  the  child  while  recreating  his  mind  will  at 
the  same  time  be  continuing  his  study.  The  necessity  of  a 
knowledge  of  general  literature  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  will 
appear  from  the  fact  that  children  have  not  only  to  study  but 
to  relax  their  mind.  This  could  be  done  by  suggesting  lines  of 
reading  which  will  cultivate  their  tastes,  and  develop  their  poetic, 
practical,  or  intellectual  faculties.  The  teacher  who  knows  the 
capabilities  of  the  child,  and  who  takes  with  most  of  our  children 
the  place  of  the  parent  in  the  matter  not  only  of  directing  his 
studies,  but  of  directing  his  reading,  ought  to  be  able  to  suggest 
what  will  be  best  for  each  child  in  order  to  allow  its  faculties  to 
expand  to  their  fullest  development.  Reading  is  a  thing  in 
which  the  principle  of  simultaneity  cannot  be  applied  success- 
fully, because  tastes  in  reading  differ  as  widely  as  tastes  in 
eating  or  drinking.  While  every  one  likes  to  have  a  solid  sub- 
stratum of  beef  in  his  food,  every  one  too  should  have  a  solid 
substratum  of  intellectual  nourishment  in  what  he  reads ;  but 
just  as  our  appetite  must  be  coaxed  by  serving  up  solid  food  in 
various  forms,    so  the    appetite  of  the    mind  must    be  coaxed    by 


The  Afostolate  of  the  Press.  133 

presenting  to  it  its  nutriment  in  attractive  shape.  And  we  know 
in  this  matter,  as  in  the  matter  of  food,  what  may  be  attractive 
for  one  will  be  repulsive  to  another.  Hence  the  necessitx'  of 
striving  to  adapt  the  reading  to  the  tastes  of  the  mind.  This,  it 
need  scarcely  be  observed,  can  be  done  only  when  the  teacher 
has  the  requisite  knowledge.  If,  therefore,  our  teachers,  whose 
lives  are  so  busy  that  they  can  scarcely  find  the  time  for  indi- 
vidual effort  in  this  direction,  could  have  the  advantage  of 
listening  to  lectures  by  different  litterateurs,  not  only  during  the 
course  of  the  year  but  during  the  vacation  season,  the  results 
would  be  beneficial  not  only  to  them  but  to  their  charges,  and 
the  resultant  sum  of  culture  on  the  part  of  the  teachers,  the 
broadening  of  their  minds,  would  have  its  effect  in  the  increased 
amount  of  culture  in  the  Catholic  body,  because  the  influence  of 
the  child  is  not  only  prospective  but  retroactive,  and  is  experi- 
enced by  the  parent  as  well  as  by  progeny. 

Since  writing  the  above  I  have  learned  that  this  want  has 
been  appreciated  by  the  Public  School  Teachers'  Association, 
and  that  the  Committee  on  Literature  of  that  body  intends  to 
devote  itself  to  the  cultivation  in  young  people  of  the  taste  for 
good  literature ;  to  endeavor  to  increase  and  multiply  in  every 
way  the  child's  opportunities  for  reading  the  best  books.  "  In 
the  development  of  this  plan  the  committee  has  in  view:  ist. 
The  preparation  of  leaflets  on  reading  for  the  young ;  2d,  The 
formation  and  proper  use  of  school  libraries ;  3d,  The  reviewing 
and  classifying  of  recent  juvenile  works;  4th,  The  preparation  of 
lists  of  suitable  books — books  of  fiction,  history,  travel,  biography, 
and  popular  science — so  classified  that  the  busy  teacher  will  be 
■enabled  to  select  at  a  glance  choice  reading  matter  for  each  of 
his  school  grades. "  We  can  learn  something  from  this  plan. 
The  need  of  our  taking  the  lesson  is  emphasized  by  the  fact 
that  the  letter  accompanying  the  circular  of  which  the  above  is 
an  extract  asks  me  to  prepare  a  list  which,  "  barring  religion,  " 
shall  be  suitable  for  all  schools.  We  must  prepare  lists  that  shall 
be  suitable  for  our  children.     Let  us  learn  the  lesson. 


134  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

LIBRARY  WORK  IN  ST.    PAUL'S  PARISH,  NEW  YORK. 

BY   JOHN   J.    O'BRIEN,    OF   NEW   YORK. 

At  a  very  early  period    in    the    history  of    St.    Paul's    parish, 
more  than  twenty-five  years  ago,  Father  Hecker  provided  a  Chil- 
dren's Free  Circulating  Library  to  supply  books  for  the  Sunday- 
school  scholars.     He    was    convinced  that  in  this  way  a    love  for 
good  reading  would  be  fostered  among  the    young    fftlks  and  re- 
main with  them  in    after   years.     Abundant    opportunities    for  an 
advanced  course  of  reading   are  now  supplied    in    the    choice  col- 
lection   of    books    at    the  Parochial    Library,  established    by  the 
Christian  Doctrine  Society.     Both  departments  of  the  library  are 
at  present  doing  their  work  conjointly,  the  books  for  the  scholars 
being  distributed  on  Sunday  morning   during  the  session,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  session  to  the  teachers,  and    again  Monday   even- 
ings to  the  members    throughout    the  parish.     About    five    thou- 
sand volumes  are  available  for  general  circulation.     Library  cards 
containing    the    titles  of    fifteen    books,  with    the    names    of   the 
different    authors   printed    thereon,    are  distributed   amongst    the 
various  Christian    Doctrine    classes.     The    card,  in    each    class,  is 
passed  around,    every   scholar    selecting  a  book  and  marking  the 
number  on  the   back   of   the  card,  which  is  covered  with   silicate. 
In  the  meantime  the  books  returned  have    been    gathered  up  by 
the  librarians  and  checked  in    the    library.     The    cards    are    then 
collected,  and  the  classes  entitled   receive    another    set  of    books. 
There  are  but  few   rules  governing  the  distribution  of  the  books. 
The  books  are  given  out  every  Sunday — except  during    the  sum- 
mer when    no    class    is  held — one    Sunday  to    the    girls    and    the 
next  to  the  boys.     Books  must  be  returned  in  two  weeks,  and  if 
any  scholar  in  a  class  fails  to  bring  back  a  book  the  class  is  held 
accountable  until   the  book  is    returned.     This  rule,  as  can  easily 
be  imagined,  directs  the    public  attention  of   classmates  to    delin- 
quents,   whose    tardiness    is    promptly  rebuked  by   the  boys    and 
girls  themselves. 

St.  Paul's  Library  enables  Catholics  to  do  much  good  by 
assisting  inquiring  Protestants  to  obtain  books  explaining  the 
points  of  difference  between  the  church  and  the  various  sects. 
For  this  apostolate  of  the  laity,  as  well  as  to  foster  a  love  of 
reading  the  best  books,  it  has   been  conducted  as  an   aid  to  mis- 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  135 

sionary  work.  A  large  number  of  volumes  have  been  lately  pur- 
chased with  this  end  in  view.  On  account  of  the  improvements 
that  have  been  made,  it  is  hoped  that  the  library  will  be  a 
centre  of  attraction  for  all  who  wish  to  find  books  that  may  be 
read  profitably.  In  choosing  the  recent  selections,  particularly 
in  the  department  of  fiction,  proper  allowance  has  been  made 
for  diversity  of  taste  and  the  varied  intellectual  qualifications  of 
readers.  The  aim  has  been  to  exclude  literary  rubbish  as  well 
as  immoral,  mendacious,  and  useless  books  of  all  kinds. 

This  is  an  age  in  which,  to  some  extent,  reading  has  become 
a  necessity  for  everybody.  The  number  of  books  published  an- 
nually is  so  great  that  few  persons  are  able  to  select  those  which 
are  suitable  from  a  Catholic  stand-point.  What  to  read  is  nowa- 
days a  question  of  real  difificulty  to  many  and  especially  to 
young  people.  With  the  varied  character  of  the  productions  of 
the  press,  with  a  press  that  lends  itself  as  well  to  the  dissemi- 
nation of  error  in  matters  religious,  historical,  and  social,  as  it 
does  to  the  advancement  of  the  true  and  useful,  guidance  in  the 
selection  of  reading  matter  is  of  the  utmost  importance.  Life  is 
not  long  enough  to  allow  time  to  read  all  the  books  that  are 
printed ;  therefore  it  is  advisable  to  adopt  some  plan  by  which 
the  best  among  them  can  be  secured. 

Now,  the  library  assumes  the  ofifice  of  a  guide  in  such  matters. 
The  fact  that  a  book  has  a  place  on  its  catalogue  is  a  guarantee 
that  it  contains  safe  and  useful  reading.  In  some  of  the  books 
written  by  non-Catholics  a  few  lines  and  passages  may  be  inac- 
curate, though  the  other  merits  which  they  possess  make  them 
attractive  and  useful  to  intelligent  readers.  Such  books  have 
been  admitted  only  because  their  defects  are  more  than  counter- 
balanced by  their  literary  excellence  and  other  good  qualities. 
As  might  be  expected,  the  library  is  well  supplied  with  works 
on  spiritual  and  doctrinal  subjects.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
state  that  such  reading  is  of  supreme  importance  for  every 
Catholic.  The  writings  of  the  saints  and  of  the  great  defenders 
of  the  faith  should  be  studied  attentively  by  all  who  wish  to  ad- 
vance in  the  way  of  perfection,  and  to  protect  themselves  from 
the  pernicious  influence  of  those  who,  by  word,  by  example,  and 
by  the  power  of  the  press,  inculcate  indifferentism  and  infidelity. 
The  church  needs,  in  this  country  especially,  enlightened  mem- 
bers who  can  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  which  they  believe,  and 
who  have  the  knowledge  requisite  to  defend  the  truths  of  reli- 
gion. Hence  it  is  the  duty  of  every  loyal  Catholic  to  make 
the  best  use  of  his  opportunities  in  diffusing   correct  information 


1 3 6  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

concerning  the  teachings  of  the  CathoHc  Church.  The  advan- 
tages to  be  derived  from  spiritual  reading  are  manifold.  Father 
Faber  says:  "Other  things  being  equal,  a  person  beginning  the 
spiritual  life  with  a  taste  for  reading  has  much  greater  chance 
for  advancing  and  persevering  than  one  destitute  of  such  a  taste. 
It  is  not  easy  to  think  out  for  ourselves  even  very  obvious 
things.  Reading  suggests  them  to  us.  We  gain  time  by  appro- 
priating through  books  the  experience  of   others." 

The  utility  of  history  as  a  branch  of  private  reading  is  unde- 
niable. It  has  been  called  "the  witness  of  ages,  the  torch  of 
truth,  the  interpreter  of  the  past."  History  is  a  repository 
whence  we  may,  with  little  labor,  derive  extensive  knowledge  of 
the  human  race.  The  true  glories  of  the  present  century  cannot 
be  properly  estimated  by  one  who  is  ignorant  of  what  hap- 
pened during  the  centuries  of  the  past.  Great  truths  and  im- 
portant lessons  drawn  from  the  study  of  history  are  often  em- 
bodied in  the  pleasing  form  of  a  story.  In  this  way  real  facts 
maybe  realized  and  presented  most  forcibly  by  the  inventive  power 
of  the  imagination.  With  this  object  in  view  many  historical 
novels  have  been  constructed  by  eminent  scholars.  The  '^tory 
of  Fabiola,  by  Cardinal  Wiseman,  and  that  of  Callista,  by  Cardinal 
Newman,  are  worthy  to  be  ranked  among  the  best  specimens  of 
this  class  of  books. 

The  literature  produced  by  Catholic  authors  is  of  the  highest 
standard,  and  it  now  remains  for  the  Apostolate  OF  THE 
Press,  through  its  many  able  exponents,  to  spread  this  literature 
broadcast  throughout  the  country  where  it  will  do  the  most 
good  among  Catholics  and  non-Catholics.  Libraries  can  assist  in 
this  grand  work  by  keeping  on  their  shelves  leaflets,  pamphlets, 
and  books  that  will  enlighten  those  who  are  searching  for  light 
concernins:  the  one  true  church. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  137 


THE    DIFFUSION    OF   GOOD  READING  BY  THE 
COLUMBIAN  READING  UNION. 

BY  MISS  JOSEPHINE  LEWIS,  OF  BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 

In  the  pages  of  THE  Catholic  World  an  extensive  series 
of  letters  have  been  published,  beginning  December,  1888,  sug- 
gesting ways  and  means  of  diffusing  Catholic  literature,  and 
bringing  into  prominence  the  works  of  Catholic  writers,  with  a 
view  to  securing  a  larger  representation  of  their  books  on  the 
shelves  of  public  libraries.  So  great  was  the  demand  for  infor- 
mation on  these  topics  that  it  was  found  advisable  to  establish, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Paulist  Fathers,  the  Columbian 
Reading  Union  as  a  central  organization  in  New  York  City,  to 
co-operate  with  those  in  charge  of  parochial  and  public  libraries 
and  the  managers  of  Reading  Circles.  All  societies  of  this  kind 
derive  mutual  benefit  by  the  interchange  of  opinion  and  sugges- 
tion, encouraged  and  made  profitable  through  the  influence  of  a 
central  body. 

The  advantages  of  such  an  organization  are  becoming  more 
and  more  evident  to  those  who  have  given  any  thought  to  the 
study  of  the  Catholic  book  trade.  Much  judgment  is  required 
in  preparing  suitable  lists  of  books  for  different  readers.  The 
young  ladies  who  have  been  graduated  from  convent  schools  and 
academies,  or  other  institutions,  need  books  specially  adapted  to 
their  plans  for  self-improvement.  That  large  and  intelligent  class 
working  in  stores,  factories,  and  in  domestic  service,  enjoying  less 
leisure,  have  a  claim  which  should  also  be  cheerfully  recognized. 
In  preparing  lists  for  the  latter  due  allowance  must  be  made  for 
their  range  of  thought  and  limited  opportunities  for  reading. 

With  regard  to  young  men,  there  are  peculiar  dangers  arising 
from  daily  contact  with  the  great  tide  of  indifferentism  and  un- 
belief to  which  they  are  exposed.  Valuable  aid  can  be  rendered 
to  them  by  judicious  guidance  in  the  selection  of  books  that  deal 
with  subjects  in  which  they  are  or  ought  to  be  most  interested. 

There  is  likewise  a  vast  domain  of  juvenile  literature  to  be 
classified  to  meet  the  constant  demands  of  educational  institu- 
tions, and  of  parents  who  rightly  exercise  a  vigilant  supervision 
over  the  reading  matter  supplied  to  their  children. 

It  is    evident  at    a  glance,  that  individual   effort    is    not    ade- 


138  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

quate  to  meet  all  these  wants.  To  arrange  guide-lists  for  the 
various  classes  of  readers,  some  fully  and  others  only  partially 
educated,  male  and  female,  the  leisured  and  the  working  classes, 
is  a  task  of  great  magnitude.  Responsible  persons,  such  as  pro- 
fessional teachers  of  literature,  directors  of  libraries,  qualified 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  can  do  inestimable  good  to  thousands  of 
readers  by  employing  their  special  acquirements  in  this  direction, 
but  to  do  so  effectually  demands  an  organization.  Lists  of  books 
arranged  in  this  way  and  offered  gratuitously  can  be  endorsed 
and  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  So  far 
as  funds  permit,  these  book-lists  will  be  sent  to  educational  in- 
stitutions. By  making  special  terms  with  publishers,  the  Colum- 
bian Reading  Union  can  become  a  useful  auxiliary  to  the  Catho- 
lic reading  public.  The  facilities  which  it  can  obtain  will  save 
time,  trouble,  and  expense  in  the  purchase  of  books,  facilities 
urgently  needed  by  those  who  live  in  the  small  towns  and  the 
rural  districts. 

One  of  the  ablest  thinkers  and  writers  among  Catholic  lay- 
men, Mr.  John  A.  Mooney,  has  sent  these  words  of  praise  for 
the  work  now  under  consideration  : 

"  I  am  delighted  to  see  at  last  a  much-needed,  timely,  prac- 
tical movement  for  the  encouragement  of  good  Catholic  reading 
and  writing.  The  plan  of  the  Columbian  Reading  Union  evi- 
dences a  full,  thoughtful  knowledge  of  Catholic  needs — pressing 
needs.  If  properly  organized  and  carefully  conducted,  the  Read- 
ing Circles  must  have  a  wide  influence  for  good,  not  on  young 
ladies  only,  but  also  on  men,  young  and  old,  many  of  whom 
know  very  little  of  the  writers  of  their  own  religion,  or  the  place 
of  excellence  these  writers  have  attained.  Instead  of  gratifying 
or  nourishing  ourselves  at  our  own  well-filled  tables,  we  contented- 
ly feed  on  the  husks  of  the  prodigal  and  call  our  sad  meal  a  feast. 

"  The  idea  of  the  guide-lists  promises  to  benefit  publishers  as 
well  as  readers.  Here  it  is,  especially,  that  every  one  can  see  the 
care  with  which  your  admirable  plan  has  been  thought  out. 
Why  should  not  the  publisher  be  helped  as  well  as  the  reader? 
As  it  is,  putting  aside  the  ascetic  work,  the  publisher  lacks  any 
safe  means  of  gauging  his  public.  We  have  no  way  of  telephon- 
ing him  what  we  are  ready  for.  The  guide-list  will  serve  as  a 
publisher's  thermometer  as  well  as  a  reader's  barometer. 

"  Not  only  will  the  Reading  Circles  and  the  guide-lists  help 
Catholics,  but  they  will  serve  our  American  society  at  large. 
The  Public  Library  will  learn  to  know  us  better  than  it  does. 
We  shall  be    recognized    not    simply  as    readers,  but  also  as  the 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  139 

owners  and  makers  of  a  good,  honest,  healthy  Hterature — a  litera- 
ture characterized  by  a  just  sense  of  art  and  by  a  high  claim, 
clean  as  well  as  modern,  and  covering  every  branch  of  literary 
composition. 

"And  our  schools,  convents,  colleges — will  not  the  guide- 
lists  serve  them  also  ?  In  the  school  the  ground-work  of  a  sound 
appreciation  of  the  value  of  good  reading  should  be  laid.  To 
instil  the  sense  of  reading  as  a  duty,  and  to  make  it  a  pleasur- 
able habit,  is  one  of  the  most  important  requirements  of  the  most 
primary  education.  The  guide-list  should  be,  and  doubtless  will 
be,  a  valued  school-teacher's  guide. 

"  Surely  you  may  count  on  the  success  of  your  good  under- 
taking. You  deserve  encouragement  from  all  classes  of  men  and 
women.  And  you  will  have  encouragement,  if  for  no  other  rea- 
son, because  you  have  chosen  the  right  moment  to  plant  a  grain 
of  mustard-seed." 

The  documents  already  printed  and  circulated  by  the  Colum- 
bian  Reading  Union  are  : 

1.  List  of  Historical  Novels,  prepared  by  the  New  York  Ca- 
thedral Library  Reading  Circle,  which  contains  forty  standard 
works  by  Catholic  authors  ; 

2.  List  of  Stories  for  Young  Readers,  prepared  by  the  Oza- 
nam  Reading  Circle,  organized  in  this  parish.  This  list  contains 
fifty  of  the  best  books  for  the  young,  printed  by  Catholic  publishers  ; 

3.  List  of  Books  Relating  to  the  Catholic  Church  in  the 
L^nited  States,  prepared  by  the  Alumnae  Association  of  the  Holy 
Angels  Academy,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  In  this  list  thirty-nine  works 
are  mentioned  ; 

4.  The  Works  of  Brother  Azarias,  with  a  reference  list  of 
his  essays  and  papers  published  in  various  magazines  during  the 
past  twenty  years ; 

5.  The  Writings  of  Miss  Eliza  Allen  Starr,  with  press  opinions, 
showing  the  high  estimate  formed  by  competent  critics  of  her 
life-long  studies  in  Christian  Art  ; 

6.  List  of  Historical  Books  on  the  Famous  Women  of  the 
French  Court,  by  a  Catholic  author,  M.  Imbert  de  Saint-Amand, 
who  has  won  distinction  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  by  por- 
traying the  chief  actors  of  a  most  memorable  epoch  of  modern 
history  ; 

7.  A  List  of  Books  for  the  Young,  selected  from  the  cata- 
logue of  Messrs.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons.  In  this  list  the  Cath- 
olic authors  are  given  a  prominent  place,  and  Jules  Verne,  the 
prince  of  story-tellers,  is  the  first  on  the  list.     By  special  arrange- 


I40  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

ment  with  the  Scribners  a  Hberal  discount  of  twenty  per  cent, 
on  single  volumes,  and  a  larger  discount  on  the  complete  works 
of  different  authors,  has  been  secured  for  every  one  using  the 
order-blank  supplied  by  the  Columbian  Reading  Union. 

This  brief  synopsis  of  the  work  performed  by  the  Columbian 
Reading  Union  will  be  acceptable  to  its  members  and  well-wishers. 
The  members  have  each  sent  one  dollar  to  give  substantial  en- 
couragement to  the  movement.  Without  the  financial  aid  thus 
obtained  the  circulars  and  book-lists  gratuitously  prepared  for 
the  use  of  the  members  could  not  have  been  printed  and  circu- 
lated. Thus  far  every  request  for  documents  has  been  answered 
even  when  the  request  was  written  on  a  postal  card.  About 
five-sixths  of  the  total  number  of  letters  received  by  the  Colum- 
bian Reading  Union  have  contained  ten  cents  in  postage,  which 
is  less  than  the  actual  cost  of  the  book-lists  and   circulars. 

The  Columbian  Reading  Union's  documents  are  in  general  de- 
mand, and  contain  information  not  hitherto  supplied  from  any 
other  source.  In  estimating  the  extent  of  the  work  already  ac- 
complished, it  is  necessary  to  add  that  one  member  of  the 
Union  in  New  York  agreed  to  pay  the  expense  of  sending  the 
book-lists  gratis  to  the  archbishops  and  bishops  ;  and  a  member 
residing  in  the  city  of  Milwaukee  willingly  undertook  the  labor 
and  expense  of  forwarding  the  book-lists  to  all  the  Catholic  col- 
leges, academies,  and  select  schools  of  the  United  States.  Spe- 
cific mention  cannot  be  made  of  all  who  have  given  valuable 
time  and  experience  to  the  formation  of  Reading  Circles,  and 
the  distribution  of  the  book-lists  among  public  libraries.  Certain- 
ly it  is  encouraging  to  authors  and  publishers  to  get  positive 
assurance  that  in  answer  to  the  appeal  of  the  Columbian  Read- 
ing Union  a  large  number  of  representative  Catholics  have  vol- 
unteered to  do  service  in  various  ways — without  the  induce- 
ment of  financial  rewards — for  the  diffusion  of   good  literature. 

Before  the  end  of  the  year  1892  it  is  hoped  that  sufficient 
funds  will  have  been  secured  to  pay  the  expense  of  printing  a 
complete  list  of  Catholic  authors  published  in  the  English  lan- 
guage ;  much  of  the  data  for  this  important  list  has  been  al- 
ready collected  by  skilful  hands.  It  now  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  the  patrons  and  members  whose  generosity  has  thus  far 
supplied  the  "  sinews  of  war  "  will  provide  the  fund  necessary  for 
this  new  enterprise.  Every  library  and  every  Reading  Circle  in 
the  land  will  be  glad  to  have  a  reliable  list,  such  as  the  one  now 
preparing,  which  will  definitely  show  forth  the  influence  Catho- 
lic thought  has  exerted  on  modern  literature. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  141 


THE    FIRST    CATHOLIC.    READING    CIRCLE    FORMED 
IN  NEW  YORK  CITY. 

BY    MISS    M.    F.    McALEER. 

In  response  to  an  appeal  issued  by  Father  McMillan,  the 
Ozanam  Reading  Circle  was  organized  over  five  years  ago.  It 
takes  rank  as  the  first  Catholic  Reading  Circle  established  in 
New  York  City.  The  members  have  endeavored  to  do  an 
apostolic  work  in  behalf  of  good  reading,  besides  securing  their 
own  self-improvement  in  matters  of  literary  value.  The  Circle  is 
composed  of  Catholic  women,  residing  in  different  sections  of 
New  York  City,  who  meet  together  once  a  week  in  an  informal 
and  friendly  way,  to  talk  about  books — Catholic  books  especially 
— to  take  part  in  carefully  selected  literary  exercises,  readings 
from  the  best  authors,  recitations,  and  essays. 

Every  Monday  evening  the  members  assemble  at  the  Paro- 
chial Library,  West  Sixtieth  Street,  near  Columbus  Avenue. 
This  library  offers  exceptional  facilities  for  getting  the  choicest 
specimens  of  modern  literature,  and  a  liberal  supply  of  the  latest 
stories.  It  contains  all  books  approved  by  the  Columbian  Read- 
ing Union. 

By  the  selection  of  well-chosen  books  in  the  library, 
and  by  special  talks  on  many  important  topics,  the  PauHst 
Fathers  have  generously  aided  the  work  undertaken  by  the 
members  of  the  Reading  Circle.  A  gifted  writer  in  The  Catholic 
World  has  told  us  that  Matthew  Arnold  in  one  of  his  essays  on 
the  "  Strength  of  Catholicism  "  says  something  to  this  effect :  If 
he  were  a  Catholic  living  in  England  he  would  suffer  much,  but 
he  would  find  also  much  to  comfort  him.  Among  the  consola- 
tions he  would  give  himself  would  be  a  frequent  visit  to  the 
reading-room  of  the  British  Museum,  and  there  he  would  linger 
in  loving  contemplation  of  the  vast  section,  stretching  on  and  up 
from  the  "  Hell  of  the  yellow  law-books  to  the  Heaven  of  the 
Acta  Sanctorum  "  devoted  to  the  Abbe  Migne's  collection,  which 
contains  all  that  concerns  the  Catholic  Church  from  every  point 
of  view,  dogma,  discipline,  art,  literature,  science,  etc.  He  says  : 
"  In  this  same  room  you  may  also  find  all  the  theological  works 
of  the  various  forms  of  Protestantism  ;  but  what  a  poor  show 
they   make   beside    this   array    of   condensed    Catholicism ! "     We 


142  The -Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

surely  do  not  need  assurances  from  Matthew  Arnold  or  from  any 
other  outsider  of  our  superabundant  wealth.  And  yet  I  do  fear 
that  too  many  even  of  our  educated  Catholics  are  not  fully  in- 
formed in  this  matter.  Do  we  really  need  to  be  told  how  rich 
and  varied  is  the  store  from  which  we  can  adorn  and  arm  and 
feed  ourselves  ?  Whether  we  really  need  this  information  or  not 
we  will  not  discuss,  but  let  us  feel  sure  we  are  engaged  in  a 
good  work  in  proclaiming  our  treasures.  But  this  cannot  be  the 
sole  motive  of  our  combined  efforts.  Is  it  not  rather  to  awaken 
in  our  hearts  an  enthusiasm  for  carrying  the  light  to  those  who, 
thanks  to  much  of  the  popular  literature,  are  growing  to  believe 
that  enthusiasm  is  a  folly,  that  there  is  nothing  worth  striving  for  ? 

Do  we  not  wish  to  counteract  the  pernicious  effect  of  the 
flippant  reading  of  the  day  by  working  ourselves  up  to  a  relish 
for  studious  reading?  And  is  not  the  means  we  have  been  ad- 
vised  to  take  something  like  a  beginning  of  that  after-course  of 
studies  so  many  have  been  longing  for  ?  The  students  in 
colleges,  convents,  and  common  schools  can  only  go  so  far. 
How  far?  Indeed,  only  to  the  borders  of  the  great  wonderland 
of  study.  And  must  education  be  deemed  ended  when  the  medals 
have  been  pinned  on  amidst  the  flourish  of  pianos,  violins,  harps^ 
etc.?  Bishop  Spalding  said  something  boldly  true  at  one  of  the 
commencements  ;  something  to  the  effect  that  there  was  a  ten- 
dency to  rest  satisfied  with  the  medal  and  diploma — that  we  too 
easily  believed  all-sufificient  these  outward  signs  of  inward  pro- 
gress. It  would  be  well  to  heed  such  warnings.  But  how  are 
we  going  to  solve  the  problem  of  a  continued  and  studious  life 
with  the  demands  of  our  social  and  domestic  environments?  A 
great  many  seem  to  think  the  problem  unsolvable  and  give  it  up, 
and  are  heard  of  no  more  among  the  light-bearers.  They  drop 
out  of  the  ranks,  or  rather,  they  drop  into  the  great  nameless, 
aimless  multitude.  The  Catholic  Reading  Circle  can  help  us  to 
reach  a  satisfactory  indication  of  the  ways  and  means  of  doing 
one's  duty  to  home  and  to  other  claimants,  yet  leaving  us  time 
enough  to  strive  for  personal  perfection  in  every  sense  of  the 
word.  The  literature  produced  by  the  divinely  lighted  minds  of 
our  great  Catholic  writers  will  assist  immensely  towards  this 
perfection  of  mind  and  heart  and  soul. 

One  of  the  most  active  workers  for  the  success  of  the  Oza- 
nam  Reading  Circle,  Mr.  Alfred  Young,  is  unavoidably  absent 
from  this  Convention.  With  rare  good  taste  and  judgment  he 
has  recommended  various  practical  plans  for  the  members  to 
follow.       In  a   letter,    written  by  request  for   this  Convention,  he 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  143 

says  that  his  advice  was  intended  for  teachers,  art  students, 
type-writers,  telegraphers,  and  the  like.  Many  of  them  work 
overtime  and  have  little  leisure.  "  It  would  be  adding  one 
more  humbug  to  the  world's  too  plentiful  stock  to  devise  an 
elaborate  scheme  of  reading  for  such  busy  people.  Last  year  we 
only  required  one  book  to  be  read  by  all  the  members, 
and  this  was  pretty  generally  and  thoroughly  done.  The  book 
was  Cardinal  Gibbons's  Our  CJiristian  Heritage.  The  meetings 
are  held  every  Monday  evening.  Every  member  is  supposed  to 
come  fortified  with  a  newly  acquired  quotation  from  some  promi- 
nent author,  and  the  recitation  of  these  quotations  forms  the 
opening  exercise.  Then  we  have  a  prose  reading  from  a  Catho- 
lic author  or  from  some  non-Catholic  source,  but  upon  a  theme 
interesting  to  Catholics.  This  is  followed  by  a  *  poetical  read- 
ing,' meaning  an  extract  from  some  good  poem,  the  importance 
of  selecting  real  poetry  and  not  mere  jingle  being  urged  upon 
the  Circle.  This  is  followed  by  another  prose  reading  which  we 
call  a  '  Study  in  Literature,'  meaning  thereby  to  illustrate  by 
the  extract  read  the  value  and  beauty  of  style  in  the  literary 
artist. 

"  A  recitation  then  comes  next  upon  the  programme.  We 
don't  care  for  '  The  Polish  Boy,'  and  '  Searching  among  the 
Slain  '  at  our  pleasant  gatherings  is  distinctly  discouraged.  Then 
we  take  a  little  relaxation  in  the  shape  of  a  reading  from  some 
popular  (high-grade)  novel,  or  from  a  book  of  sketches.  For 
instance,  one  of  the  members  read  for  us  not  long  ago  that  de- 
lightful sketch  of  Miss  Wilkins's,  '  The  Revolt  of  Mother.'  Once 
in  a  while  we  have  an  original  story  or  essay.  The  evening  is 
closed  by  an  informal  talk  from  the  presiding  ofificer  of  the 
meeting.  The  talk  is  part  comment,  part  suggestion,  and  part 
criticism.  Just  so  much  stress  is  laid  upon  elocution  as  may 
insure  the  adequate  expression,  in  an  entirely  natural  and  unaf- 
fected way,  of  whatever  is  read  or  recited.  The  idea  is  that  it 
is  worth  while  for  everybody  to  be  able  to  read  and  to  speak 
in  a  graceful  manner  with  a  well-trained  voice.  Much  is  made 
of  the  good  old-fashioned  practice  of  reading  aloud.  We  think 
that  even  one  night  a  week  with  Newman  and  Ruskin  may  do 
something  to  counteract  our  daily  dose  of  flippancy  and  cyni- 
cism in  the  morning  newspaper. 

"  These  proceedings  of  the  members  of  the  Ozanam  Reading 
Circle  do  not  make  a  very  pretentious  narration,  but  in  the  com- 
parison of  experiences  at  the  Convention  they  may  prove  of 
interest.      Recent   articles   in    The    Catholic    World  were   dis- 


144  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

cussed  by  our  Circle,  and  just  too  in  the  line  of  Father  Elliott's 
noble  scheme. 

"  Now,  our  members  have  agreed  that  whenever  they  find 
themselves  guests  in  a  Catholic  household  they  will,  on  the  first 
fitting  opportunity,  ascertain  whether  THE  Catholic  World 
and  other  standard  works  by  Catholic  authors  are  subscribed  for 
by  their  hosts,  and  if  not,  in  a  kindly,  missionary  sort  of  a  way 
they  will  urge  a  subscription  to  these  publications.  If  this  is 
carried  out,  as  I  hope  it  will  be,  it  ought  to  entitle  the  Ozanam 
Reading  Circle  to  be  admitted  into  the  Apostolate  of  the 
Press." 

A  description  of  a  meeting  may  give  some  idea  of  the  work 
done  in  the  Ozanam  Reading  Circle.  The  exercises  begin  with 
the  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  previous  meeting.  These 
minutes  are  not  presented  in  tabular  form,  but  are  rather  a  de- 
scription of  the  part  each  member  had  in  the  proceedings.  This 
is  followed  by  quotations  containing  good,  wholesome  thoughts 
that  impress  the  members  in  the  course  of  their  readings — an  en- 
tire evening  has  often  been  devoted  to  one  Catholic  author. 
The  rest  of  the  time  is  devoted  to  recitations  and  readings. 
The  latter  are  not  given  merely  for  the  sake  of  elocutionary  effect 
alone.  The  readings  are  selected  from  a  literary  stand-point ; 
hence  standard  periodicals  are  frequently  consulted.  For  instance, 
every  month  at  least  one  selection  from  THE  CATHOLIC  WORLD 
is  rendered.  The  members  subscribe  to  this  magazine  and  cir- 
culate it  weekly,  so  that  each  member  in  turn  is  supplied  with 
a  copy.  Original  writings  have  taken  the  form  of  letters  to  the 
Circle,  essays,  and  reviews  of  popular  books,  or  impressions  of 
particular  works.  An  original  story  was  given  as  a  Christmas 
contribution.  Sometimes  the  whole  time  of  the  meeting  has  been 
devoted  to  one  special  subject  or  one  celebrated  character,  such 
as  Shakspere,  Longfellow,  and  St.  Patrick.  All  efforts  have 
tended  in  some  way  to  acquaint  the  members  with  Catholic  his- 
tory and  Catholic  literature. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  145 

THE  CATHOLIC  EDUCATIONAL  UNION. 

BY   WARREN    E.    MOSIIER,    OF   YOUNGSTOWN,    O. 

Of  the  necessity  and  utility  of  Reading  Circles  among  Catho- 
lics there  is  not  the  slightest  difference  of  opinion  among  those 
who  have  the  welfare  of  Catholic  interests  at  heart.  After  a 
trial  of  two  years  all  who  have  taken  an  active  interest  in  the 
movement  concede  that  the  Reading  Circle,  when  properly 
directed,  is  a  most  beneficial  means  of  acquiring  the  greatest 
amount  of  intellectual  gain  from  the  effort  expended ;  and  the 
steady  growth  of  the  movement  is  convincing  proof  that  the 
Reading    Circle    has    come    to  stay    among    Catholic    institutions. 

The  work  being  done  by  the  Columbian  Reading  Union  is 
deserving  of  the  highest  commendation.  It  is  certainly  a  useful 
auxiliary  to  the  Catholic  reading  public,  and  I  trust  its  useful- 
ness will  be  continued  and  encouraged. 

There  is  another  organization  to  which  I  would  call  your 
attention,  and  which  is  known  as  the  Catholic  Educational 
Union,  with  headquarters  at  Youngstown,  Ohio.  You  are  all 
familiar  with  the  Chautauqua  Society,  and  the  phenomenal  suc- 
cess it  has  achieved  among  our  non-Catholic    friends. 

The  Catholic  Educational  Union  has  adopted  the  same 
system,  but  conducted  on  Catholic  lines,  and  does  not  conflict 
in  the  least  with  the  work  of  the  Columbian  Reading  Union. 
Among  its  oflficers  and  counsellors  are  some  of  the  most  eminent 
divines  and  educators  in  the  land,  including  Brother  Azarias ; 
Rev.  J.  F.  Loughlin,  D.D.,  chancellor  of  the  Archdiocese  of  Phila- 
delphia ;  Rev.  M.  M.  Sheedy ;  Maurice  F.  Egan,  LL.D.  ;  Rev. 
J.  Havens  Richards,  S.J.  ;  George  E.  Hardy,  A.M. ;  Hon.  W.  J. 
Onahan,  Eliza  Allen  Starr,  Katherine  E.  Conway,  Mary  E. 
Blake,  and  others. 

Briefly  stated,  the  object  of  this  institution  is  to  encourage 
the  diffusion  of  sound  literature  and  to  instil  a  love  of  good 
reading  into  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the  Catholic  masses;  to 
give  those  who  desire  to  pursue  their  studies  after  leaving  school 
an  available  opportunity  to  follow  prescribed  courses  of  the 
most  approved  reading;  to  enable  others  who  have  made  con- 
siderable progress  in  education  to  renew  their  past  studies,  and 
particularly  to  encourage  individual  home  reading    and    study    on 


146 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 


systematic  and  Catholic  lines.  It  is  especially  designed  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  those  who  have  had  limited  educational 
advantages  and  are  desirous  of  self-improvement.  It  aims  to 
unfte  the  earnest  young  Catholics  of  the  land  who  are  ambitious 
to  devote  their  spare  moments  to  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  and 
the  cultivation  of  the  intellect. 

The  plan  consists  of  carefully  prepared  reading  courses  and 
wisely  selected  books.  The  studies  include  history,  literature, 
science,  and  art.  The  lessons  in  these  studies  are  marked  in 
advance  for  each  week,  and  the  amount  of  reading  in  each  study 
is  clearly  defined.  The  required  reading  can  be  done  in  one  half- 
hour  daily.  The  members  procure  the  books  recommended  and 
read  the  lessons  at  home.  If  there  are  several  persons  in  a  par- 
ish reading  the  course,  they  may  meet  for  mutual  help  and 
encouragement,  and  thus  form  a  local  Reading  Circle. 

A  full  course  requires  four  years'  study.  But  one  may  join 
for  one  year  only  and  may  read  all  or  any  part  of  the  course. 
If  a  member  desires  to  obtain  a  diploma,  he  may  do  so  by  read- 
ing the  full  course  for  four  years  and  answering  eighty  per  cent. 
of  the  questions  sent  him.  These  questions  are  a  review  of  the 
studies,  and  can  be  found  in  the  books  which  he  has  read.  The 
term  for  each  year  begins  October  i  and  ends  July  i.  Special 
courses  will  be  prepared  for  those  who  complete  the  regular 
four  years'  course,  so  that  they  may  continue  indefinitely,  review- 
ing old  studies  and  beginning  new  ones. 

The  Four  Years'  Course  of  the  C.  E.  U. 
(Subject  to  revision,  from  time  to  time,  by  the  Counsellors.) 

1892-93. 
American  History. 

American   Literature. 


1890-91.  1891-92. 

Ancient    and    Roman     History  of  the  Middle     English  History 


History. 
Greek  and  Latin  Lit 

erature. 
Mythology. 


-'^S^s.  English  Literature. 

Civilization,      Litera-  ^,        ,    tt-  . 

Church  History, 
ture,  the   Arts,    Li- 
braries, Schools.and  Electricity. 
Universities   in  the  Physics. 

,    ^-  Middle  Ages.  .    . 

Physiology    and    Hy-     ^^^    ^^^^^^    .^    ^^^  Art. 

Middle  Ages.  Science  and  the  Bible. 

The  Protestant  Refor-  Contemporary      Irish     Chemistry. 

mation.  History  and  Litera-     Social  Questions. 

*^^°^°ey-  The  World's  Exposi 

Astronomy. 


History  of  the  Church 

in  America. 
American  Institutions 
Political  Science. 


giene. 
Ancient  Civilization 
Physical  Geography 
Bible  Studies. 
Christian  Doctrine. 


Christian  Doctrine. 


Bible  Studies. 


The  above  course  is  repeated  every  four  years,  so  that  those  who  continue 
members  for  four  years  will  get  the  benefit  of  all  the  readings  advertised,  no  mat- 
ter which  studies  they  may  begin  with.  All  who  join  the  Union  should  begin  with 
the  course  outlined  for  the  year  in  which  they  join. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  147 

Course  of  Reading  for  1891-92. 

Beginning  October  i  and  ending  July  i,  arranged  as  follows:  From 
October  to  January,  English  History,  Electricity,  and  Physics ;  from  January  to 
April,  English  History  and  Literature  ;  from  April  to  July,  English  History,  Liter- 
ature, and  Church  History. 

The  required  Readings  in  the  Revieiv  will  include  special  series  of  Art 
Studies,  by  Eliza  Allen  Starr ;  Bible  Studies,  by  Rev.  P.  C.  Yorke  ;  Relation  of  Sci- 
ence and  the  Bible,  by  Rev.  John  J.  Melody.  Other  studies  will  be  announced 
later.  Contemporary  Irish  History  and  Literature  will  receive  special  attention  in 
the  text-books  and  Review  during  the  progress  of  the  course. 

Required  Books  for  1891-92. 

English  History.     Burke's  Lingard.     J.  Murphy  &  Co.,  Baltimore,  Md.     $1.50, 

English  Literature.  John  O'Kane  Murray's  Lessons  in  English  Literature. 
John  Murphy  &  Co.     75  cents. 

Church  History.  A  popular  manual.  The  Catholic  Publication  Society  Co., 
New  York.     60  cents. 

Electricity  and  its  Discoverdrs.  By  Rev.  Martin  S.  Brennan,  A.M.  D. 
Appleton  &  Co.,  New  York.     75  cents. 

Physics.  By  Prof.  Balfour  Stewart.  American  Book  Company,  New  York, 
Cincinnati,  and  Chicago.     35  cents. 

The  Catholic  Reading  Circle  Review.     $1.50. 

A  person  may  join  at  any  time  by  sending  name  and  address 
and  a  fee  of  twenty-five  cents.  Circles  of  ten  or  more,  ten  cents 
each. 

The  primary  object  is  to  encourage  home  reading,  and  indi- 
viduals may  become  members  without  joining  a  Circle.  Yet  the 
Reading  Circle  is  the  principal  means  of  carrying  out  the  plan. 
The  members  meet  weekly  to  discuss  the  reading  they  have  done 
at  home  and  to  have  an  interchange  of  ideas.  Literary  exercises 
are  prepared,  consisting  of  essays  and  talks  supplementary  to 
studies,  and  musical  exercises  interspersed  to  make  the  meetings 
pleasant  and  sociable. 

Every  Reading  Circle  is  a  school  in  which  are  educated  ac- 
tive and  efficient  workers  for  the  responsible  duty  of  assisting 
pastors  in  teaching  the  young  intellects  of  our  land  sound  prin- 
ciples and  virtuous  practices.  By  the  members  having  a  common 
interest  in  the  work  and  acting  in  concert,  there  is  an  incentive 
£or  individual  effort.  Each  member  is  urged  by  a  sense  of  duty, 
and,  feeling  assured  of  sympathy,  does  his  part  willingly.  He  is 
also  made  to  feel  that  he  is  not  conspicuous  or  alone  in  the 
work.  The  active,  strong  minds  act  as  a  stimulant  in  arousing 
the  slow  or  indifferent  members  to  action  ;   the  timid  and  diffident 


148  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

grow  self-reliant  and  confident,  and  in  time  this  spirit  pervades 
the  whole  society. 

Many  have  the  erroneous  idea  that  by  identifying  themselves 
with  Reading  Circles  it  presupposes  ignorance  on  their  part. 
This  is  a  mistake.  Many  educated  Catholics  have  entered  into 
the  spirit  of  the  plan  with  the  warmest  zeal,  and  have  organized 
Circles  in  which  are  professional  men,  business  men,  teachers, 
mechanics,  and  persons  from  every  walk  in  life.  Those  who  have 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  have  received  opportunities  of  advanced 
education,  sound  training,  and  good  social  and  moral  influences 
could  not  do  a  more  commendable  act  than  to  ally  themselves 
with  Reading  Circles  and  aid  in  lifting  up  those  less  fortunate 
than  themselves.  Good  example,  fellowship,  discussion,  and  in- 
terchange of  ideas  constitute  the  educational  advantages  of 
Reading  Circles. 

The  Catholic  Educational  Union  does  not  conflict  with  other 
associations.  On  the  contrary,  it  can  be  made  a  useful  Adjunct 
to  them.  If  they  would  adopt  this  plan,  new  life  would  be  in- 
fused into  literary  societies  which  now  exist  in  name  only,  and  a 
vigor  imparted  which  would  stimulate  members  to  renewed  ef- 
fort. Besides,  they  have  the  advantages  of  libraries,  pleasant 
meeting  places,  and  other  necessary  conveniences. 

Where  there  are  several  Circles  in  a  community  following  this 
plan  they  could  carry  out  in  a  measure  the  University  Extension 
system  by  having  men  of  local  or  national  prominence  as  educa- 
tors deliver  special  lectures  on  the  course  to  the  several  Circles 
assembled  together. 

The  manner  of  conducting  a  Reading  Circle  is  immeasurably 
superior  to  that  heretofore  followed  by  literary  societies.  In  the 
ordinary  literary  society  several  persons  are  assigned  subjects  for 
papers,  recitations,  etc.,  and  the  other  members  of  the  society 
have  no  interest  but  to  sit  and  listen  to  the  papers  read  by 
others.  None  but  those  who  have  been  assigned  subjects  have 
an  incentive  to  look  up  the  references  given,  the  others  having, 
perhaps,  little  or  no  knowledge  of  them.  And  should  those  as- 
signed papers, fail  to  respond,  the  meeting  is  likely  to  be  a  fail- 
ure. On  the  other  hand,  by  the  Reading-Circle  system  all  the 
members  are  interested  in  the  subjects,  as  all  are  supposed  to 
have  the  books  and  to  read  a  certain  amount  each  day  or  week. 
Should  those  on  the  programme  fail  to  respond,  the  meeting  can 
yet  be  conducted  profitably  by  a  discussion  of  the  reading  or 
lesson  of  the  week. 

The  following  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  work  of  a  Circle  : 


The  Apostolatr  of  the  Press.  i49 

Reading  for   Week  ending  January  7. 

1.  "History  of  England" — Chap,  xix.,   Edward  III. 

2.  "  Lessons  in   English   Literature  " — Definitions,  to  page  J. 
In  the  Reading  Circle  Review :     "The  Motive  of  George  Eliot's 

Novels,"  by  Brother  Azarias ;    "Leo  XIII.  and  the    Labor  Prob- 
lem," by  Rev.  M.  M.  Sheedy. 

LOCAL   CIRCLE   PROGRAMME — SUGGESTIVE. 
Week  ending  January  7. 

1.  Roll-Call — New  Year's  Resolves. 

2.  Paper — The  Black  Death. 

3.  Selections  from  Lyric  Poetry. 

4.  The  Lesson. 
Music. 

5.  Paper — The  Irish  in  America. 

6.  Selections  from  the  "  Gleaner."  The  Gleaner  is  a  person 
appointed  to  look  up  articles  of  interest  bearing  on  the  subjects 
studied  by  the  Circle. 

7.  Readings  and  Discussion — "  The  Motive  of  George  Eliot's 
Novels,"  and  "  Leo  XIII.  and  the  Labor  Problem,"  in  this  issue 
of  the  Review. 

8.  Topics  of  the  Hour. 

Among  the  many  excellent  exercises  carried  out  in  Reading 
Circles  are  the  quotations  in  response  to  roll-call,  and  the  ques- 
tion-box. By  the  former  each  member  as  his  name  is  called,  in- 
stead of  saying  "  present,"  recites  a  quotation  from  an  author 
named  the  week  before  :  it  may  be  a  line  or  more.  By  follow- 
ing this  exercise  a  Circle  will  quote  from  forty  or  fifty  different 
authors  during  the  year,  and  by  the  members  being  obliged  to 
search  through  the  writings  of  the  many  authors  for  a  suitable 
quotation  they  naturally  become  familiar  with  many  writers  and 
their  works. 

By  the  question-box  exercise  questions  on  special  or  general 
subjects  are  prepared  and  distributed  among  the  members  at  a 
meeting,  to  be  answered  at  the  next. 

There  are  many  other  pleasant  and  instructive  exercises  be- 
sides these  which  may  be  introduced  at  the  will  of  the  mem- 
bers. 

An  indispensable  feature  of  this  Union  is  its  monthly  maga 
zine,  the  CatJiolic  Reading  Circle  Reviezv.  This  magazine  serves 
as  a  guide,  the  several  departments  being  conducted  with  a  view 
of  assisting  members  to  a  clear  understanding  of  the  studies  of 
the  course.  Articles  of  special  value  to  members  are  contributed 
by  many  of    the  most  distinguished  writers  in  the  country.     The 


I50  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

Reading  Circle  department  contains  the  outline  of  the  studies  for 
each  week,  with  suggestive  programmes  for  local  circles,  explana- 
tory notes,  suggestions,  and  advice,  questions  and  answers,  and 
other  matter  of  general  interest,  besides  communications  from 
Circles  and  readers  from  all  parts  of  the  land.  There  is  also 
a  department  devoted  exclusively  to  the  interests  of  Catholic 
teachers.  With  the  aid  of  the  magazine  ten  thousand  Circles 
can  follow  the  plan  as  easily  as  one.  The  price  of  the  Review 
is  $1.50  per  year.  All  the  books  of  the  course  may  be  ordered 
from  the  Union  at  Youngstown,  Ohio,  or  from  the  publishers. 
Information  on  organizing  and  conducting  Reading  Circles  may 
be  had  by  applying  to  the  Union  and  merely  enclosing  stamps 
to  pay  for  circulars  and    reply. 


PARISH    CALENDARS. 

BY    REV.    JOHN  J.    HUGHES,    ST.    PAUL'S   CHURCH,    NEW   YORK. 

Whatever  else  the  Paulists  may  be  accused  of  originating, 
the  Calendar  idea  cannot  be  placed  at  their  doors.  The  credit 
is  not  theirs.  Long  ago  Numa  Pompilius,  and  later  on  Julius 
Caesar,  and  later  still  Pope  Gregory  XIII.  had  something  to  do 
with   Calendars. 

It  was  only  six  years  ago  that  the  Paulists  got  it  into  their 
heads  that  the  wisdom  of  Numa,  and  Caesar,  and  Gregory  might 
be  used  effectively  if  put  before  the  people  of  St.  Paul's  in 
American  dress. 

The  idea  of  the  monthly  Calendar  is  simply  this — to  furnish 
every  member  of  the  parish,  FREE  OF  CHARGE,  a  small  pam- 
phlet containing  a  list  of  the  feasts  and  fasts  of  the  month,  no- 
tices of  the  meetings  of  societies,  short,  sharp  warnings  to  the 
people  about  any  abuses  or  vices  prevalent  among  them,  and  to 
give  short  explanations  and  instructions  on  Catholic  truths. 

At  first  some  smiled  at  the  success  of  such  a  publication. 
How  could  we  distribute  five  thousand  copies  of  a  pamphlet 
ranging  from  sixteen  to  thirty-two  pages  a  month — all  for  no- 
thing ? 

We  did  it,  and  thus  far  it  has  cost  the  Paulist  Fathers  not 
one  cent. 

What  is   The  Calendar  ?     The    Calendar    is    the    Catholic's    re- 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  151 

ligious  memorandum-book.  He  hangs  it  up  the  first  Sunday  of 
the  month  and  consults  it  as  the  sailor  does  his  almanac  for 
tides  and  the  phases  of  the  moon.  For  every  day  there  is  a 
saint  or  a  devotion,  for  every  week  a  meeting  of  some  society, 
his  own  or  his  children's,  and  for  every  season  of  the  year  a 
special  phase  of  his  religious  life.  The  Calendar  is  a  chart  for 
his  voyage.  With  our  large  congregations  and  our  short  Masses 
the  parochial  relation  is  at  a  minimum — less  than  a  minimum,  in 
fact — it  is  below  measurement.  Every  expedient  to  supplement 
this  should  be  resorted  to  with  alacrity.  If  a  business  man  is 
not  sure  those  who  trade  with  him  understand  his  words  he 
sends  them  a  circular.  That  is  exactly  the  purpose  of  The  Cal- 
endar. It  is  a  printed  message  of  the  pastor  of  souls  to  his 
flock.  In  large  city  parishes  such  a  means  of  communication  is 
necessary  if  we  want  the  people  to  understand  intelligently  the 
notices  and  regulations  of  the  parish.  When  read  from  the  pul- 
pit it  is  safe  to  say  that  one-third  of  the  congregation  does  not 
hear  a  word  of  them  and  another  third  forgets  them.  Whereas, 
when  the  notices  are  in  cold  print  and  carried  home,  they  are 
apt  to  be  read  and  commented  upon,  and  thus  rubbed  in  and 
not  so  easily  forgotten. 

Can  The  Calendar  be  made  to  turn  an  honest  penny  for 
church  revenue?  Yes,  but  the  honest  penny  would  be  its  death. 
Say  a  thousand  would  buy  it ;  two  thousand  wouldn't.  Thus  the 
object  of  The  Calendar  would  be  defeated,  for  its  great  aim  is  to 
reach  every  one  in  the  parish,  to  force  upon  them  the  knowledge 
of  their  duty  and  of  what  is  going  on  in  their  parish  church. 

Another  question  :  Would  the  publication  of  a  Calendar  be 
an  extra  expense  and  drain  on  the  parish  funds? 

It  need  not  be.  The  Calendars  we  have  issued  these  years 
have  not  cost  the  church  one  cent,  and  we  have  distributed 
nearly  200,000  copies  in  that  time.  Any  intelligent  young  man 
can  go  around  in  the  parish  and  secure  enough  advertisements 
to  pay  the  printer's  bill  and  compensate  himself. 

Do  we  notice  any  marked  effect  from  the  use  of  The  Calen- 
dar in  St.  Paul's  ? 

Undoubtedly  v/e  do,  for  whenever  we  wish  to  call  attention 
to  any  new  regulation  or  denounce  any  abuse,  we  speak  to  the 
people  through  The  Calendar,  and  good  results  are  produced. 
If  the  people  do  not  recite  the  prayers  properly  after  Mass,  we 
tell  them  through  its  pages  how  it  should  be  done,  and  repeat 
the  notice  until  we  gain  what  we  want.  It  the  people  rush  out 
of  church  before  the  priest  leaves  the  altar,  a  little  good-humored 


152  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

sarcasm  printed  in  the  next  Calendar  will  make  them  feel  ashamed 
to  do  the  like  again.  For  example,  you  can  see  in  some  of  The 
Calendars  a  number  of  "  Dont's,"  and  among  others,  "  Don't  run 
out  of  church  as  if  the  sherifT  were  at  your  heels  "  ;  "  Don't  loiter 
or  stand  at  the  back  of  the  church  during  Mass  if  you  are  able 
to  pay  for  a  seat.     It  looks  bad,  and  is  not  in  good  form." 

Let  me  tell  you  one  effect  of  a  notice  in  The  Calendar.  We 
were  annoyed  and  worried  at  people  coming  late  to  Mass. 
Father  Brady  wrote  a  page  in  TJie  Calendar  on  "  Freaks."  He 
told  of  many  phenomena  of  nature — some  people  who  had  been 
born  with  two  heads,  four  eyes,  several  legs,  etc.  A  new  freak  had 
been  discovered  in  our  parish  with  three  hands — a  right  hand,  a 
left  hand,  and  a  little  beJiind-hand.  "  Look  out  for  this  freak  next 
Sunday  at  any  of  the  Masses,"  he  wrote,  "  and  you  will  see  him 
coming  up  the  aisle  wagging  his  little  behind-Jiand  after  him 
some  time  after  the  Mass  has  begun." — Result,  next  Sunday 
everybody  looked  for  the  freak  in  vain. 

We  are  anxious  to  have  it  clearly  understood  that  The  Cal- 
endar costs  nothing  but  the  editorial  labor  of  compiling  the  pro- 
per lists  of  feasts  and  fasts,  putting  together  the  announcements 
of  the  coming  month,  and  adding  some  edifying  facts  and  state- 
ments, such  as  the  instinct  of  a  good  pastor  readily  furnishes. 

The  money  with  which  to  pay  the  printer  can  easily  be  ob- 
tained. The  business  manager  of  The  Calendar  says  that  busi- 
ness men  who  believe  in  good  and  successful  advertising  can  find 
no  better  medium  than  it.  The  advantages  it  offers  over  the 
usual  modes  of  advertising  can  be  seen  in  these  simple  facts : 

It  is  essentially  a  family  publication,  and  must  therefore  bring 
the  various  advertisements  directly  to  the  notice  of  those  persons 
whom  the  shrewd  and  intelligent  business  man  desires  to  interest. 
Again,  though  published  monthly,  the  attention  of  its  readers  is 
called  daily  to  the  notices,  religious  almanacs,  etc.,  contained  in 
its  pages.  In  this  respect  it  differs  greatly  from  other  mediums 
of  advertising,  for  whe.i  read  they  are  usually  thrown  aside,  but 
The  Calejidar  is  kept  and  referred  to  time  and  again  throughout 
the  entire  month — thereby  making  the  last  days  as  valuable  as 
the  first. 

It  is  hoped  to  make  The  Calendar  at  no  distant  time  a  week- 
ly publication,  thus  multiplying  its  usefulness,  and  bringing  the 
Apostolate  of  the  Press  to  bear  more  regularly  as  the  ad- 
junct of  the  spoken    word. 

How  do  we  distribute  The  Calendars  ?  Do  the  people  come 
around  to  the  priests'  house  for  them  ? 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  153 

Not  at  all.  The  very  persons  you  want  to  reach  would  never 
see  a  Calendar  if  they  had  to  put  themselves  out  of  the  way  to 
get  it.  No ;  we  have  a  few  boys  stationed  at  the  church  en- 
trance, and  every  one  who  wishes  gets  a  copy.  One  for  each 
family  is  sufificient. 

Then  do  we  think  it  is  a  good  investment  ? 

We  know  it  is,  and  wc  feel  the  need  of  it  and  see  so  much 
good  in  it  that  we  would  pay  for  its  printing,  if  that  were 
necessary,  sooner  than  let  it  drop. 

How  many  are  there  now  ? 

Calendars  are  now  being  published  in  many  of  the  large 
cities  of  the  Union — in  Boston,  Worcester,  Cambridge,  Brooklyn, 
Detroit,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  New  York,  and  finally  Chicago 
with  nineteen  Calendars  and  one  of  them  in  the  German  lan- 
guage. No  wonder  the  "  World's  Fair "  went  to  this  last- 
named  city ! 


THE  PRESS  AND  INTEMPERANCE. 

BY   JAMES    F.   JUDGE,  OF    SCRANTON,    PA. 

The  Press  is  the  modern  sling  of  the  David  of  Right  with 
which  the  Goliath  of  Wrong  may  be  successfully  stricken  down. 
Of  all  the  giant  evils  of  modern  times  the  greatest  is  Intemper- 
ance. To  annihilate  that  evil  there  stands  ready  a  David,  which 
is  Christianity,  and  the  Press  is  the  weapon  with  which  it  should 
arm  itself  that  the  blow  which  it  strikes  may  be  unerring  and 
deadly.  The  press,  in  general,  is  ever  the  champion  of  good 
order  and  reform,  but  intemperance  is  a  particular  evil,  one 
that  to  be  eradicated  requires  a  special  treatment.  And  as  in- 
temperance is  the  most  powerful  enemy  that  now  threatens — 
as  it  long  has  done — the  human  race,  there  is  not  only  need  of 
a  distinct  Temperance  Press  with  which  to  destroy  that  enemy, 
but  that  press  should  be  the  most  powerful  weapon  of  its  kind. 
And  a  temperance  press,  to  be  powerful  and  effective,  must  be 
wholly  devoted  to  the  cause  it  represents,  with  no  side  issues  ;  it 
must  be  bold,  it  must  be  fearless,  and  must  never  swerve,  for  a 
moment,  from  the  uncompromising  position  it  has  started  out  to 
take. 

With  a  press  of  this  kind  to  aid  it,  the  church  would  find 
itself    able  to  make  a   powerful    onslaught    against  the    demon  of 


154  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

Drink.  And  it  is  to  champion  such  a  press  and  to  urge  recog- 
nition and  support  of  it  that  I  speak  in  its  behalf  in  this  Apos- 
tolate. I  favor  the  tract,  the  pamphlet,  the  book,  and  every  other 
means  of  distributing  temperance  literature  among  the  people, 
as  well  as  the  establishment  of  an  organization  for  the  circula- 
tion of  the  same.  But  I  favor,  most  of  all,  the  temperance  news- 
paper. The  newspaper  is  to-day  the  great  engine  of  reform, 
next  to  the  church,  of  which  it  is  an  ally  in  every  splendid 
endeavor  that  tends  to  make  the  world  better.  This  is  an  age 
of  newspapers,  and  we  are  a  generation  of  newspaper  readers. 
Into  the  poorest  home  imaginable  the  newspaper  now  finds  its 
way  ;  it  follows  us  on  our  journeys,  it  faces  us  at  every  turn,  it 
is  a  companion  and  a  friend  under  every  circumstance  of  life. 
It  is  the  tireless,  constant,  and  infinitely  resourceful  agent  of  any 
cause  in  which  it  is  engaged. 

I  regret,  therefore,  to  find  that  there  are  very  few  newspapers 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  temperance,  and  that  of  that  few  only  a 
small  proportion  are  of  Catholic  identity.  To  be  sure,  there  isn't 
a  Catholic  newspaper  in  America  which  would  fail  to  notice  a 
temperance  convention  or  print  a  synopsis,  at  least,  of  an  able 
temperance  lecture  or  sermon  by  a  prominent  prelate ;  but  the 
advocacy  of  temperance  is  by  no  means  a  conspicuous  feature  of 
these  excellent  publications;  but  the  straight  out-and-out  tem- 
perance papers  could  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand. 
This  is  certainly  not  as  it  should  be,  for  every  diocesan  and 
State  organization  of  the  great  Catholic  Total  Abstinence  Union 
of  America  ought  to  have  and  can  have  an  official  newspaper 
of  its  own. 

And  what  more  glorious  field  of  reform  might  journalism 
enter  than  that  of  assailing  and  subjugating  drunkenness,  and  the 
accursed  traffic  which  is  its  necessary  ally?  No  plague  so  fatal 
in  its  effects  has  beset  the  sons  of  men  since  the  world  began  as 
the  ciirse  of  intoxicating  drink.  Oh,  the  desolate  homes  it  has 
left  behind  it  in  its  journey  !  Oh,  the  poor  hearts  it  has  broken, 
the  proud  heads  it  has  brought  low,  the  brave  hands  it  has 
paralyzed !  War  has  pillaged  towns  and  cities  ;  and  widows  and 
orphans,  in  hunger  and  rags,  have  moaned  the  pitiful  sobs  of 
grief-torn  hearts  in  echo  of  its  guns,  but  there  has  been  a  solace 
for  all  such  sorrows.  History  with  a  golden  pen  writes  down 
the  deathless  glory  of  the  brave  who  fall  in  battle.  But,  alas ! 
for  those  whose  loved  ones  have  fallen,  and  over  whose 
shamed  graves  Drink  plants  its  foul  banner  of  victory.  Who 
shall  comfort  the  drunkard's  orphan  and  the    drunkard's  hopeless 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  155 

wife  ?  In  all  the  wide  world  there  are  none  whose  griefs  appeal 
to  the  pity  of  human  hearts  like  theirs ;  and  they  are  many, 
these  stricken  ones!  Few  are  the  homes  that  have  not  some 
time  felt  the  clutch  of  this  demon  upon  them. 

Then  to  fight  down  this  damnable  thing  is  the  mission  of  the 
temperance  press  ;  to  send  every  week  or  month  a  message  of 
hope  and  good  cheer  into  every  home  where,  perhaps,  some  one 
is  struggling  to  keep  the  pledge  which  he  made  on  bended  knees 
before  the  priest,  or  to  instil  into  the  minds  of  the  children  the 
beauty  and  the  glory  of  a  life  of  temperance.  And  better  still, 
such  a  journal  will  preach  not  only  simple  temperance,  but  will 
print  every  word  which  may  be  said  about  the  better  and  holier 
practice — total  abstinence.  For,  as  Cardinal  Manning  says  : 
"  Temperance  is  good ;  total  abstinence  is  better.  We  are  all 
pledged  to  temperance  by  the  vows  of  our  baptism.  No  one  is 
bound  to  total  abstinence.  It  is  the  free  choice  of  those  who 
aspire  to  live  by  the  counsel  of  a  higher  life.  Happy  are  the 
homes  where  the  father  and  the  mother  are  pledged  to  the 
higher  life.  Happy  are  the  children  who  have  never  known  the 
taste  of  intoxicating  liquor.  Happy  are  they  who,  by  total  ab- 
stinence, have  broken  the  bondage  of  intemperance.  Happy  are 
they  who  have  taken  the  pledge,  not  for  any  need  of  their  own, 
but  to  save  others,  by  word  and  example,  from  spiritual  death. 
In  such  homes  and  hearts  the  peace  of  God  will  reign." 

Such  is  the  message  of  the  temperance  press — happiness.  It 
shall  carry  light  into  the  dark  places,  peace  to  the  wretched, 
love  to  the  fireside  that  had  grown  cold  for  want  of  love.  Send 
into  the  homes  of  our  people  a  family  paper  the  columns  of 
which  are  free  from  the  advertisements  of  saloon-keepers,  brew- 
ers, and  distillers.  Let  us  have  one  class  of  publications  the  ad- 
vertising space  of  which  is  so  valuable  that  all  the  wealth  of  all 
the  whisky-rings  of  the  world  cannot  buy  an  inch  of  it. 

Without  a  distinctively  temperance  press  many  a  message  of 
courage  to  the  struggling  ones  would  be  lost.  The  ordinary 
newspaper  is  not  inclined  to  give  more  than  a  meagre  space  to 
temperance  literature,  and  what  it  does  give  is  given  but  rarely. 
And  some  of  the  ablest  of  even  our  religious  newspapers  are 
often  indirectly,  though  perhaps  unconsciously,  guilty  of  adver- 
tising the  trafific  in  intoxicating  drink.  But  where  is  the  journal 
bold  enough  to  echo  a  sentiment  like  this  from  Archbishop  Ire- 
land, expressed  in  one  of  his  splendid  lectures :  "  I  have  seen 
too  often  the  misery  and  horrid  wretchedness  which  intemperance 
begets.     I  have    heard    too  often  the  shrieks  of  woe  and    despair 


156  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

which  it  compels  ;  I  know  too  well  the  fearful  sins  which,  before 
Heaven,  are  laid  to  its  charge.  The  dark  tracings  of  the  picture 
are  ever  before  my  mind.  So  long  as  the  beatings  of  my  pulse 
remind  me  of  my  common  humanity  with  the  victims  of  intem- 
perance, so  long  as  I  love  dearly  my  country  and  hope  for  the 
perpetuation  of  its  glories  and  its  liberties,  so  long  as  I  recog- 
nize duties  toward  Him  who  came  from  the  skies  to  save  sin- 
ners, to  heal  the  sore  and  weary,  to  comfort  the  afflicted,  to  do 
good — so  long  will  I  protest  by  word  and  act  against  the  giant 
curse  of  our  day,  intemperance,  and  against  those  who  dare^ 
in  their  reckless  contempt  of  earth  and  Heaven,  to  encourage 
and  foment  intemperance." 

And  yet,  what  a  pity  it  is  that  an  utterance  like  this  could 
not  be  carried  into  every  Christian  home! 

My  experience  in  temperance  work  has  mainly  been  with  the 
successful  total-abstinence  organization  of  the  diocese  to  which  I 
belong,  but  recent  wider  opportunities  for  observation  have  en- 
abled me  to  learn  that  the  discouragements  in  such  a  field  of 
labor  are  everywhere  the  same.  In  the  upper  anthracite  coal- 
fields of  Pennsylvania  I  have  seen  a  Catholic  total-abstinence 
union  built  up  to  handsome  proportions,  and  time  and  again 
fall  back  into  insignificance.  Whenever  there  would  be  an  en- 
thusiastic effort  made,  and  rallies  held  and  speeches  delivered^ 
the  societies  would  increase  and  grand  results  generally  followed. 
But  as  soon  as  our  orators  grew  lukewarm  and  the  high  tension 
of  enthusiasm  relaxed,  the  societies  would  dwindle  down  to 
small  stature  and  many  of  them  would  go  to  pieces  entirely.  So, 
you  see,  that  sort  of  thing  may  do  for  awhile,  but  it  cannot 
last.  The  effort  could  not  be  made  constant.  It  was  like  Father 
Mathew's  historic  movement — as  long  as  he  was  able  to  go 
from  town  to  town,  speaking  to  the  people  with  that  inspired 
voice  of  his,  all  was  well.  But  when  the  magnetism  of  his  per- 
sonality was  removed  from  the  fight,  the  old,  sad  state  of  affairs 
reappeared.  And  so  it  is  now  with  us.  As  long  as  we  have 
those  who  will  sacrifice  time  and  energy  and  make  use  of  great 
oratory  to  stir  the  hearts  of  the  people,  much  good  can  be  ac- 
complished. But  when  this  fails  us — as  fail  us  it  always  will — 
then  what  are  we  to  do  ? 

Plainly,  our  hope  lies  in  a  press  that  shall  chose  as  its  mis- 
sion the  destruction  of  intemperance.  We  must  have  newspapers 
that  shall  fight  the  ceaseless  battle  in  that  tireless  way  of  which 
they  are  capable.  They  will  be  read,  never  fear.  The  drunkard, 
even,  in    his    intervals    of    sobriety  will  welcome  the  messages    of 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  157 

hope  and  courage  which  are  thus  brought  to  him,  and,  maybe, 
take  heart  again.  But  the  greater  hope  and  the  surer  thing 
that  the  onslaught  of  the  press  against  intemperance  shall  realize 
will  be  the  moral  sentiment  which  shall  be  created  in  favor  of  the 
better  life  in  the  minds  of  those  who,  though  not  victims  of  strong 
drink,  stand  in  the  danger  of  it.  There  is,  alas!  but  little  hope  for 
the  worst  class  of  confirmed  drunkards,  enslaved  as  they  are 
by  chains  almost  too  strong  to  be  broken.  But,  oh  !  there  surely  is 
the  hope  that  the  generations  that  are  to  be  may  be  taught  to 
know  the  horror  of  drunkenness.  Let  this,  then,  be  one  of  the 
grand  ideas  of  our  Apostolate  OF  THE  PRf:ss — to  lift  the  fallen 
ones  whom  drink  has  degraded. 


READING   IN    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

BY   EMMA   S.    GARY,    OF   CAMBRIDGE,    MASS. 

Will  education  prevent  crime  ?  Twenty-five  years  ago  I 
heard  a  wise  man  prophesy  that  if  every  one  could  read  and 
write,  crime  would  diminish ;  but  a  generation  of  readers  and 
writers  has  arisen,  and  crime  has  not  diminished.  Not  that  we 
should  trust  the  calculations  of  pessimists,  for  correct  statistics  of 
crime  are  based  not  only  upon  the  increase  of  population  but  upon 
the  increased  vigilance  of  the  police,  and  the  increased  severity  of 
laws  concerning  misdemeanors  as  well  as  felonies.  I  will  not 
claim  that  education  prevents  crime,  but  I  assert  that  it  multi- 
plies the  chances  of  reforming  criminals.  A  prisoner  who  has 
free  use  of  a  well-selected  library  can  fill  with  harmless,  even  ele- 
vating thought  the  leisure  he  might  otherwise  make  hideous  with 
reveries  of  future  evil-doing.  "  When  I  get  out !  " — that  is  the 
goal  every  man  with  a  limited  sentence  is  striving  to  reach,  and 
even  the  life-men  are  always  dreaming  of  pardon  ;  therefore  it  is 
well  to  fill  their  hours  of  leisure  with  wholesome  subjects  of 
thought,  lest  release  should  mean  to  their  undisciplined  imagina- 
tion renewed  opportunity  to  commit  crimes  more  injurious  to 
society  than  those  they  are  now  expiating. 

In  these  days,  when  jealousy  in  behalf  of  free  labor  restricts 
within  a  narrow  channel  the  production  in  prisons  of  all  goods 
possessing  value  in    the    general    market,    the   inmates  have  more 


158  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

time  to  themselves  than  when  they  worked  on  contract  from 
bell  to  bell,  and  wise  directors  of  penitentiaries,  knowing  that 
the  mind  is  never  empty,  have  established  to  meet  the  crisis 
schools  and  libraries  more  or  less  complete  according  to  the 
resources  at  their  command.  It  would  be  impossible  within  the 
space  that  may  be  properly  given  to  this  one  paper  to  estimate 
justly  the  excellent  work  done  throughout  the  country  by  war- 
dens and  superintendents,  and  I  will  mention  only  the  names  of 
Mr.  Brockway,  of  Elmira,  N.  Y. ;  Major  McLaughry,  successively 
of  Joliet,  111.,  and  Huntingdon,  Pa. ;  the  late  Colonel  Gardiner 
Tufts,  of  Concord,  Mass.,  and  Mrs.  Ellen  C.  Johnson,  of  Sher- 
born,  Mass.,  as  leaders  in  the  work  of  educating  those  under 
their  charge  to  be  docile  prisoners,  and  also  harmless,  even  use- 
ful, members  of  society  after  their  release.  This  is  no  sentimen- 
tal dream,  but  a  well-founded  *  hope  which  was  often  realized 
by  the  great  pioneers  in  prison  reform,  Crofton,  McConochie, 
Obermaier,  Montesinos,  and  the  founders  of  Mettray. 

Elmira,  one  of  the  finest  penal  institutions  in  the  world,  has 
admirable  trade-schools,  an  excellent  course  of  study  extending 
from  primary  lessons  to  lectures  upon  history,  literature,  and  social 
science,  and  a  library  of  three  thousand  volumes  of  general  litera- 
ture and  special  reference.  The  report  for  1891  has  an  appendix 
which  is  exclusively  the  work  of  inmates  of  the  reformatory. 
The  text  is  written  by  the  editor  of  TJie  Siimniary,  their  weekly 
paper ;  the  illustrations  are  taken  from  photographs,  sketches, 
and  etchings  made  by  prisoners,  and  the  whole  report  is  printed 
on  the  presses  and  bound  at  the  bindery  of  the  reformatory. 

Concord  Reformatory,  only  seven  years  in  existence,  is  fast 
following  in  the  steps  of  Elmira,  and  Huntingdon,  of  even  more 
recent  date,  has  adopted  the  same  methods.  It  is  evident,  then, 
that  the  inmates  of  our  great  reformatories  are  capable  of  appre- 
ciating good  reading,  being  more  familiar  with  books  than  the 
average  working-man  outside. 

In  the  Massachusetts  State  Prison  there  is  a  library  of  nearly 
six  thousand  volumes,  covering  a  wide  field  of  reading.  The 
report  of  the  chaplain,  the  Rev.  J.  W,  F.  Barnes,  for  1891,  gives 
some  interesting  statistics  as  to  the  classes  of  books  most  popu- 
lar among  the  prisoners :  "  Per  cent,  of  fiction  taken,  48.84 ; 
bound  volumes  magazines,  10.65  ;  history,  9.58;  travels  and  adven- 
tures,  7.87 ;  general  literature,  6.46 ;  religious,  3.20."  Those  who 
have  recently  acquired  a  taste  for  reading  browse  eagerly  among 
the  books,  changing  their  volumes  often.  As  they  become  more 
thoughtful   and    receptive,    they   take  out  fewer    books    and  keep 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  159 

them  longer ;  and  the  real  students  confine  themselves  to  a  small 
number  of  volumes. 

In  speaking  of  the  facilities  for  getting  Catholic  reading  I 
must  confine  myself  to  the  three  libraries  with  which  I  am 
familiar,  those  at  Concord,  Charlestown,  and  Sherborn.  In  each 
of  these  there  is  a  Catholic  department.  I  choose  the  books 
myself,  and  receive  from  the  State  money  enough  to  get  the  best 
new  books  on  religion,  the  standard  works  of  reference,  novels, 
poems,  and  biographies.  If  there  is  any  lack  of  breadth  in  the 
selection  it  is  owing  to  my  own  want  of  judgment,  not  to  any 
limit  set  to  the  choice  of  books.  The  Rev.  Edward  Moriarty, 
the  Catholic  chaplain  at  Charlestown,  tells  me  that  men  who 
come  to  the  State  Prison  almost  ashamed  to  acknowledge  that 
they  are  Catholics  gladly  claim  and  proclaim  their  faith  after 
reading  the  Catholic  books  in  the  library.  At  the  three  State 
institutions  I  have  named  the  Catholic  chaplains  work  with  entire 
freedom  among  their  flock.  The  fact  that  they  receive  no  pay 
from  the  State,  and  that  the  duties  of  schoolmaster  and  inspector 
of  letters  are  not  in  their  case  united  to  those  of  spiritual  guide, 
adds  to  their  personal  influence  over  the  prisoners.  The  less 
official  one's  position  in  a  prison  the  better  is  the  chance  of 
winning  the  prisoners'  affection,  other  things  being  equal.  I 
heard  an  excellent  Protestant  chaplain  complain  to  his  brother 
clergymen  in  a  chaplains'  meeting  that  the  unpaid  priest,  with  the 
mighty  organization  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  behind  him, 
could  reach  the  prisoners  as  he  himself  could  not  reach  them. 

No  doubt  in  many  other  prisons  there  is  the  same  freedom 
for  Catholic  worship  and  Catholic  reading,  but  by  taking  too 
much  for  granted  we  sometimes  lose  ground  already  gained.  I 
venture  to  suggest  that  great  caution  be  used  in  distributing 
reading  in  prisons,  and  that  it  be  done  in  each  State  after  con- 
sultation with  the  Catholic  clergy  occupied  with  the  care  of 
prisoners. 

It  is  with  good  reason  that  superintendents  and  wardens  dread 
all  outside  influence  over  their  inmates,  who  may  be  easily  ex- 
cited and  disturbed  by  books  that  woUld  be  harmless  anywhere 
else.  A  few  general  suggestions  about  the  choice  of  reading 
for  prisoners  may  be  of  use,  for  it  is  possible  that  some  county 
prisons  may  have  no  Catholic  visitors,  and  that  we  may  have  to 
trust  to  the  good  nature  of  the  keeper  or  of  the  Protestant 
chaplain  for  the  distribution  of  Catholic  books  through  the  in- 
stitution. 

Good    Catholic  novels    are  excellent  reading  for  prisoners,    for 


i6o  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

they  catch  their  attention  and  teach  good  lessons  in  the  charm- 
ing disguise  of  amusement.  Rosa  Mulholland,  Maurice  Francis 
Egan,  and  other  authors  who  are  in  touch  with  the  human  heart 
and  have  sound  common  sense  can  teach  morality  all  the  more 
successfully  because  they  come  as  story-tellers,  not  as  preachers. 
His  Honor  the  Mayor,  by  the  Rev.  John  Talbot  Smith  ;  Julia 
Kavanagh's  Madeleine,  Gerald  Grififin's  Collegians,  are  examples  of 
books  that  every  intelligent  prisoner  will  enjoy  and  draw  profit 
from.  All  our  leading  papers  and  magazines  could  be  given 
away  by  hundreds  and  thousands,  and  give  perfect  delight  to 
prisoners,  men  and  women.  As  a  rule  female  prisoners  are  not 
especially  intelligent  ;  they  are  frequently  the  victims  of  circum- 
stance, illiterate  and  extremely  excitable,  but  if  they  can  read,  a 
good  story  or  a  newspaper  can  give  them  great  pleasure.  Pos- 
sibly we  may  be  discouraged  to  find  that  they  hold  the  book 
upside  down,  and  they  may  call  "The  Hearth  and  Home"  the 
"  Heathen  Home,"  but  we  must  not  be  disturbed  by  trifles,  for 
this  ambition  to  seem  to  read  may  lead  them  to  read  in  good 
earnest  if  they  have  an  opportunity  to  learn  in  some  reforma- 
tory. 

My  first  experience  with  prisoners  was  in  a  county  prison 
many  years  ago,  where  I  had  a  kind  of  circulating  library,  and 
found  that  I  must  have  my  wits  about  me  to  provide  books 
clever  enough  for  the  young  men  whose  sharpness  had  been 
developed  quite  out  of  proportion  to  the  weightier  gifts  of  judg- 
ment and  discretion.  "Give  us  Doomns's*  works!"  was  the  cry, 
"  Doomus  is  the  best "  ;  but  as  I  did  not  include  Dumas'  novels 
among  my  stock,  Dickens,  Lever,  and  Sir  Walter  Scott  were 
produced  and  gave  general  satisfaction.  There  were  few  enter- 
taining Cathohc  novels  in  those  days,  but  now  we  have  many, 
and  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  will  find  them  excellent  in- 
struments in  the  work  of  reformation.  Prisoners  do  not  want  to 
be  talked  to  as  prisoners  or  criminals.  They  know  as  well  as  we 
do  that  it  is  wicked  to  steal  and  drink  and  kill  one's  neighbor, 
but  they  have  many  motives  to  commit  crime  where  perhaps  we 
have  not  one.  Give  them  motives  to  be  good ;  show  them  the 
common  sense  that  underlies  every  virtue,  and  let  them  learn 
through  wholesome  novels  the  lessons  that  in  well-regulated 
households  are  inhaled  with  the  air  we  breathe,  and  they  may 
show  an  aptitude  for  learning  we  should  not  expect  to  find.  I 
have  read  in  foreign  books  of  penology  of  abnormal  creatures 
fostered  on    crime,  the    brutish    children    of    brutish  parents,  and 

*  Their  fashion  of  pronouncing  Dumas. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  i6i 

perhaps  there  may  be  large  classes  of  such  criminals  in  the  old 
countries ;  but  after  a  quarter  of  a  century  spent  in  studying 
prisoners  I  can  say  that  I  have  met  no  such  criminals,  unless  in 
a  few  instances  of  insane  persons.  They  are  unbalanced,  selfish, 
whimsical ;  their  consciences  are  warped,  their  wills  are  diseased, 
their  tastes  corrupt.  But  generally  speaking  they  are  grateful 
for  judicious  kindness  ;  not  for  that  sentimental  indulgence  which 
they  play  upon  and  despise,  but  for  genuine  sympathy  and  just 
dealing.  It  is  not  feeling  that  is  lacking  in  prisoners;  it  is 
principle.  Hear  them  sing  together  in  chapel  some  hymn  ex 
pressing  the  noblest  asceticism,  and  keep  back  your  tears  if  you 
can.  "  E'en  though  it  be  a  cross  that  raiseth  me "  they  will 
sing  with  passionate  fervor,  men  who  cannot  or  will  not  bear  the 
cross  of  common  daily  duty.  They  are  fond  of  poetry,  and  write 
pretty  verses,  wanting  perhaps  in  rhythmical  precision,  but  filled 
with  emotions  and  imagery  that  would  supply  some  of  our  wri- 
ters of  graceful  roundelays  with  material  for  many  a  dainty  poem. 
Yes,  prisoners  are  keenly  impressionable,  and  they  are  capable  of 
appreciating  good  reading  and  learning  from  it  many  valuable 
lessons. 

At  the  State  Prison  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  every  Sunday 
afternoon  the  chaplain  distributes  about  two  hundred  religious 
papers  and  magazines  to  prisoners,  and  among  these,  to  represent 
Catholic  bounty,  is  one  single  copy  of  the  Catholic  Revieiv,  and  I 
venture  to  say  that  it  is  read  to  rags.  All  our  leading  papers 
and  magazines  are  on  the  list  of  publications  admitted  to  the 
prison,  and  gifts  from  publishers  would  be  thankfully  received 
and  conscientiously  distributed  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barnes.  Prison- 
ers do  not  like  old  papers  any  better  than  we  do ;  they  enjoy 
the  ripples  from  the  outer  world  that  a  fresh  publication  brings. 
Old  magazines  are,  of  course,  interesting,  but  there  is  a  great 
pleasure  in  reading  the  latest  chapter  of  a  serial  story,  or  some 
poem  fresh  from  the  press. 

Let  him  who  writes  tracts  for  prisoners  be  sure  that  he 
knows  the  people  he  is  writing  for.  They  have  a  strong  sense 
of  the  ridiculous  and  not  much  reverence.  They  respect  know- 
ledge of  the  world,  acuteness,  humor,  sympathy,  and  frankness  ; 
and  the  less  they  are  treated  as  a  class  apart  from  other  men  the 
more  readily  will  they  read  and  secretly  apply  to  their  indi- 
vidual cases  the  advice  offered. 

I  have  not  sought  to  arouse  your  sympathy  with  prisoners, 
for  action,  not  feeling,  is  required  to-day  from  us  all.  But  I 
could    give  you  a  picture    of    scenes  that  still  take  place,  though 


1 62  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

they  grow  steadily  more  rare  as  old  prisons  are  torn  down  and 
air  and  sunshine  let  in  where  damp  and  darkness  used  to  be — 
a  picture  that  would  wring  your  hearts.  I  have  seen  in  old 
times  a  man  confined  in  a  cell  where  you  would  not  keep  a 
horse  or  a  dog,  studying  in  the  dim  light  one  language  after 
another,  striving  to  keep  himself  from  going  mad,  and  not  suc- 
ceeding either.  That  cell  and  others  like  it  have  been  destroyed 
and  wholesome  ones  built  on  their  ruins,  but  in  some  parts  of 
the  country  the  same  tragedy  may  be  repeated.  If  we  can  reach 
such  unhappy  beings  and  give  them  any  solace,  let  us  do  it ; 
and  let  part  of  the  work  of  the  Apostolate  OF  THE  PRESS  be 
the  exposure  of  such  inhuman  treatment  of  prisoners  wherever  it 
may  be  found. 


THE  PRESS  IN  ALMS-HOUSES  AND  REFORMATORIES. 

BY   MARY   E.    M^CARTIN,   OF  JERSEY   CITY,    N.   J. 

I  HAVE  been  asked  to  say  something  about  alms-houses  in 
connection  with  the  distribution  of  literary  matter  in  such  insti- 
tutions. My  own  personal  experience  in  this  direction  is  con- 
fined to  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  where  as  a  member  of  the 
State  Charities  Aid  Association,  I  have  been  enabled  to  visit 
ofificially  and  inspect  thoroughly  the  alms-houses  through  the 
State,  as  well  as  of  the  public  hospitals  and  penal  institutions  of 
my  own  county.  As  a  general  rule,  I  have  found  the  prisons 
and  penitentiaries  better  supplied  with  books  than  the  alms- 
houses, and  in  these  penal  institutions  a  greater  taste  for  reading 
shown  by  both  the  men  and  women,  who  are  younger  and  more 
full  of  life  and  health  than  the  occupants  of  the  alms-houses. 
In  these  the  female  inmates  seem  to  read  little,  partly  because 
many  of  them  have  never  learned  to  read,  partly  because  they 
have  occupation  for  the  hands  that  the  men  have  not,  in  the 
mending  and  making  of  garments,  and  in  washing  and  scrubbing. 

But  that  even  the  pauper  women  have  decided  tastes  in  liter- 
ature is  proved  by  the  rejection  by  one  woman  of  Gulliver's 
Travels;  she  pronounced  it  the  "  lyingist "  book  she  had  ever 
read.  One  man,  in  the  same  alms-house,  asked  for  Longfellow's 
Poems,  adding  that  if  they  could  not  be  found  in  this  country, 
he  could  send  to  England  for  them. 

The  pauper  old  man  generally  prefers  newspapers  and    maga- 


The  AposroLATE  of  the  Press.  163 

zines.  I  have  heard  of  one  case,  not  in  New  Jersey,  where  a 
charitable  lady  having  volunteered  to  read  aloud  to  the  inmates 
of  an  old  men's  home  for  the  blind,  provided  herself  with  Mrs. 
Barr's  Boiv  of  Orange  Ribbon,  as  calculated  to  lift  their  thoughts 
and  interests  above  the  monotonous  every-day  occurrences  of  their 
life.  When  she  announced  what  she  was  about  to  read  she 
noticed  no  responsive  look  on  the  faces  of  the  old  men,  one  of 
whom  finally  settled  the  dif^culty  by  suggesting  that  they  would 
rather  hear  the  news  from  the  New  York  Herald,  and  offering  to 
send  out  and  buy  a  Herald  if  the  lady  was  unprovided.  So  the 
higher  literature  was  laid  aside.  It  might  have  been  that  the 
majority  of  the  listeners  were  wearers  of  the  Green  and  to  them 
the  Bow  of  Orange  Ribbon  had  an  ominous  sound,  and  the  old 
men  listened  with  enthusiastic  commentary  of  their  own  to  the 
news  of  the  day. 

I  will  now  offer  you  a  brief  account  of  the  literary  condition 
of  those    alms-houses    I  have    personally    visited    in  New    Jersey. 

Beginning  with  the  nearest  one,  the  Hudson  County  Alms- 
house, there  is  connected  with  it  no  regular  library.  The  Sisters 
of  Charity  of  Jersey  City,  who  visit  the  institution  every  Sunday, 
take  out  books,  newspapers,  and  pictures  for  distribution  among 
the  inmates,  among  whom  are  nearly  three  hundred  children. 
The  men  enjoy  the  magazines  and  newspapers  ;  I  have  never  seen 
any  of  the  children  with  a  book  except  when  at  their  lessons  in 
the  school-room,  while  the  old  women,  who  are  bedridden  or  too 
feeble  to  help  in  the  work  of  the  institution,  seem  generally 
unable  to  read.  As  the  Hudson  County  Penitentiary  is  in  the 
same  locality  as  the  alms-house,  books  and  papers  contributed  by 
charitable  persons,  and  sent  out  from  time  to  time  by  the  poor- 
master  of  Jersey  City,  generally  find  their  way  to  the  penitentiary, 
where  there  is  at  once  greater  taste,  and,  among  the  young  and 
active  women,  greater  leisure  for  reading. 

The  Morris  County  Alms-house  has  a  library,  but  among  the 
books  I  saw  no  Catholic  ones,  though  many  of  the  inmates  are 
Catholics,  as  is  always  the  case  with  such  institutions  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  greater  towns. 

The  Elizabeth  Alms-house  has  a  good  library,  but  also  unpro- 
vided with  any  Catholic  books,  the  books  generally  being  sup- 
plied by  zealous  Protestant  ladies.  At  Rahway  there  was  no 
library,  and  only  a  few  Catholics  in  the  institution.  At  Trenton, 
Mercer  County,  there  is  also  a  library,  but  containing  no  Catho- 
lic books,  while  there  are  many  Catholics  in  the  institution.  In 
connection    with    Trenton    it    may     not    be    amiss    to    mention. 


164  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

although  the  matter  of  prisons  is  not  directly  in  my  province 
with  you  here  to-day,  that  some  ardent  Chautauquans  have 
introduced  into  the  State  Prison  the  Chautauqua  course  of  read- 
ing as  an  aid  to  the  reformation  of  the  prisoners.  At  Seattle, 
Washington,  the  same  plan  has  been  introduced,  but  with  what 
success  I  do  not  know. 

At  the  Neptune  Township  Alms-house,  Monmouth  County, 
I  saw  no  books  of  any  kind. 

At  Oradell,  Bergen  County,  there  are  many  books,  but  among 
them  no  Catholic  ones,  and  in  the  institution  there  are  but  two 
Catholics.  The  books  and  periodicals  here  are  supplied  by  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

It  seems  to  me  a  difficult  question  to  determine  just  what 
kind  of  books  are  necessary  for  these  institutions  and  for  the 
pauper  wards  of  the  State.  Of  course  it  will  not  do  to  think 
that  anything  that  is  Catholic  is  good  enough.  Honestly  good 
books  are  necessary  here  as  elsewhere  ;  and  since  these  are  to  be 
a  means  of  help  to  our  separated  brethren,  let  them  be  books  in 
which  the  literary  sins  against  Christian  charity  are  as  few  as 
possible,  if  not  altogether  absent. 

As  to  the  manner  of  distribution,  the  most  suitable  seems  to 
me  to  let  the  distribution  be  done  by  the  priests  and  sisters  of 
the  district  in  which  the  alms-house  is  situated,  their  distribution 
to  be  made  through  the  wardens  in  charge,  with  whom  rests  the 
supervision  and  general  care  of  their  respective  institutions. 
Such  recognition  of  the  wardens'  official  duty  seems  to  me  due 
to  their  position,  and  in  my  own  county,  at  least,  these  ofBcials 
have  always  been  found  ready  to  second  any  efforts  for  the 
physical  amelioration  or  moral  improvement  of  the  paupers  under 
their  charge. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  priests  and  sisters  in  these  districts 
are  already  over-burdened  with  the  work  of  their  vocation,  but 
the  labor  of  the  distribution  would  be  but  a  slight  addition  to 
the  time  they  would  naturally  give  to  the  religious  visitation  of 
the  Catholic  inmates  of  the  alms-houses.  The  charitably-minded 
might  contribute  the  books  and  papers,  but  their  best  almoners 
would  be,  as  I  have  said,  the  religious  and  those  in  holy  orders, 
through  the  heads  of  the  institutions.  The  possible  tastes  of  the 
wardens  and  matrons  and  their  assistants  ought  also  to  be  con- 
sulted in  the  books  delivered,  as  well  as  the  possible  needs  of 
the  pauper  inmates,  since  often,  while  the  heads  of  such  institu- 
tions may  be  Protestant,  they  may  have  Catholic  assistants  who, 
between    the    duties    of    their    ofifice,    might   themselves    find    the 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  165 

reading  of  the  books  a  relaxation  of  what  must  often  be  dispirit- 
ing work  among  their  pauper  charges,  bedridden,  feeble  of 
intellect,  and  often  depraved. 

Airy  situation,  wholesome  food,  and  almost  marvellous  cleanli- 
ness are  the  advantages  of  many  alms-houses ;  but  charity  has  an 
inviting  field  for  its  labors  in  them ;  for  the  inmates  seem  a 
dreary  wreckage  of  life  lost  through  adverse  winds  or  reckless 
pilotage,  drifting  without  earthly  hope  to  the  great  shore  of 
eternity ;  while  there  are  children  Avhose  surroundings  seem  to 
prepare  a  vast  field  for  the  sowing  of  tares  that  may,  alas !  when 
the  child  is  man  or  woman,  far  over-top  the  wheat.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  add  that  in  the  labor  of  the  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE 
Press,  applied  to  alms-houses  and  State  institutions  of  like  char- 
acter, prudence  and  zeal  must  go  hand-in-hand,  that  neither  may 
outrun  the  other. 


THE  EXPERIENCE  OF  A  SISTER  OF  MERCY. 

LETTER   FROM    SISTER    MARY   AUSTIN. 

For  the  past  eighteen  years  I  have  been  connected  with  such 
duties  as  have  either  obliged  or  permitted  me  to  interest  myself 
in  the  intellectual  progress  of  persons  of  both  sexes,  of  all  ages, 
and  of  different  degrees  of  mental  culture.  During  that  period  I 
have  proved  good  literature  to  be  so  beneficial  as  to  induce  me 
to  form  libraries  where  none  already  existed  and  to  increase 
those  already  established,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  that  the  results 
have  well  repaid  my  efforts. 

Many  years  'ago,  before  Catholic  circulating  libraries  were  as 
numerous  as  they  are  now,  there  was  a  small  one  started  in  our 
convent  for  the  use  of  the  sodalities  attached  to  it.  For  some 
years  I  was  in  charge,  and  had,  during  that  time,  ample  oppor- 
tunity for  observing  the  various  capabilities  of  my  readers.  For 
some  little  time  I  gave  out  whatever  books  were  demanded, 
making  no  comment,  but  nevertheless  taking  mental  notes  of 
the  tastes  of  the  members  as  displayed  in  their  selections.  I 
found  they  were  mostly  divided  into  two  classes,  the  larger  one 
of  which  called  for  the  lightest  and  most  sentimental  of  the 
story-books  and  novels  contained  in  the  library — Catholic  ones, 
of  course.  The  second  and  more  restricted  class  was  composed 
of  the  different  degrees  of  those  who  would  on  no  account  read 
anything  but  the  most  pious  of  all  pious  books,  asking  sometimes 


i66  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

for  the  Divine  Cloud,  Obscure  Night  of  the  Soul,  etc.  As  I  could 
not  do  as  I  would  wish,  viz.,  fuse  my  members  into  a  mass  and 
run  them  out  mutually  improved  by  the  transfusion  of  the  oppo- 
site spirit,  I  undertook  to  mould  each  upon  her  own  basis.  When 
I  found  the  former  class  turning  over  the  books  in  a  spiritless 
manner  and  discontentedly  saying,  "  Nothing  new,"  I  would  take 
up  historical  or  biographical  works  and  trace  some  real  or  fan- 
cied resemblance  in  its  subject-matter  or  characters  to  those 
they  had  perused,  and  interest  them  to  such  a  degree  as  to 
cause  them  to  carry  one  away.  I  found  historical  romances  ex- 
cellent for  such  persons  at  first.  After  these  had  been  drawn 
for  some  time  the  least  possible  religious  biographies  were  sub- 
stituted, after  which  came  the  most  difficult  step,  from  those  to 
works  of  piety  and  lives  of  saints  and  holy  people.  Sometimes 
I  would  drive  a  bargain,  which  was  that  every  alternate  week  I 
should  be  the  chooser  of  the  book — although,  unknown  to  them, 
I  had  been  that  all  along,  but  on  the  latter  occasion  the  book 
would  be  a  pious  one,  as  interesting  as  possible,  however.  In 
most,  if  not  in  all  such  cases,  I  found  a  healthy  taste  usurping 
the  former  most  unhealthy  one. 

The  second  class  I  tried  to  lead  to  see  God  in  his  works. 
There  was  some  difficulty  here,  as  they  had  been  so  in  the  habit 
of  looking  for  Him  just  where  they  had  locked  Him  up,  in  pious 
books,  churches,  and  themselves,  that  it  required  some  delicate 
tactics  to  cause  them  to  find  Him  anywhere  else. 

I  would  recommend  for  all  libraries  works  on  natural  science, 
entertainingly  written  and  graded  ;  likewise  works  on  travels.  I 
think  this  kind  of  reading  productive  of  incalculable  benefit,  as 
it  gives  subject  for  thought  and  conversation,  and  prevents  gos- 
sip, senseless  and  frivolous  talk.  The  mind  must  have  food ; 
failing  that  which  is  wholesome,  it  will  accept  the  opposite. 
Lovers  of  natural  science  find  happiness  everywhere. 

Sickness,  giving  the  time  which  otherwise  many  would  never 
find,  is  often  the  means  of  their  sincere  conversion,  not  alone 
to  the  faith  but  from  negligent  or  sinful  habits;  and  it  is  a 
great  privilege  to  be  allowed  to  co-operate  with  Almighty  God  in 
this  work  by  providing  the  sick  in  hospitals  with  such  literature 
as  will  give  them  matter  for  reflection,  as  well  as  knowledge  of 
their  faith  and  its  obligations.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the 
majority  of  sins  are  committed  through  ignorance — ignorance 
of  God  and  what  he  requires ;  ignorance  of  self  and  one's  re- 
lation  to    God. 

Need  I  suggest  how  essential  it  is  to  adapt  the  reading  to 
the  physical  strength    as  well  as  to  the  mental    calibre  of  the  in- 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  167 

valid?  Even  persons  of  intelligence  and  of  formed  habit  of 
reading  will  not  when  ill  be  able  to  read  much  at  a  time,  or 
matter  requiring  concentration  of  thought  or  sustained  attention. 
How  much  more  is  this  the  case  when  the  poor  sufferer  has 
not  formed,  not  alone  this  habit  but  even  that  of  conce;itration 
of  thought  upon  any  matter  whatever,  or  of  controlling  the 
imagination  even,  when  in  possession  of  perfect  health. 

Works  of  piety,  easy  of  comprehension,  expositions  of  the 
truths  of  faith  and  of  morals.  Catholic  stories,  lives  of  holy  peo- 
ple, either  canonized  or  not,  the  latter  often  being  preferable, 
are  the  best  literature  for  hospital  wards.  I  do  not  think  it 
wise  to  introduce  works  of  controversy  into  such  libraries,  be- 
cause if  the  patient  becomes  interested  in  the  subject  it  will 
more  or  less  afifect  the  mind  already  weakened  by  illness,  and 
little  able  to  bear  opposition,  which  always  irritates  the  sick, 
however  trifling  it  may  seem  to  others,  and  the  result  would 
probably  be  that  of  the  physician's  prohibition  as  to  any  religious 
reading. 

I  would  also  suggest  that  such  books  should  be  selected  as 
have  clear,  large  print  ;  the  reason  being  obvious,  the  fatigue  that 
small  print  causes  to  the  eyesight  as  well  as  the  brain,  and  the 
inconvenience  of  wearing  glasses,  which  indeed  many  do  not 
have,  when  the  sight  is  defective.  Books  of  an  undersize  rather 
than  the  opposite  and  with  light  covers  are  preferable,  as  they 
do  not  fatigue  the  weakened  hands,  and  in  falling  are  not  so 
apt  to  hurt  the  invalid  or  sustain  injury  themselves.  Catholic 
periodicals,  especially  when  illustrated,  are  very  welcome  visitors 
and  are  very  beneficial,  as  many  who  would  not  read  a  book, 
either  from  prejudice  or  distaste,  would  enjoy  a  paper  or  maga- 
zine and  gain  considerable  benefit  from  it.  Scrap-books  made 
of  cotton  cloth  instead  of  paper  are  excellent,  especially  when 
containing  pictures,  for  they  give  subject  for  thought  and  may 
be  enjoyed  by  those  who  are  unable  to  read,  either  from  igno- 
rance or  illness.  Not  having  covers,  they  are  light  and  easily 
held  even  when  bulky.  If  they  contain  short  moral  or  religious 
clippings  they  would  teach  many  lessons  that,  perhaps,  books 
would  not. 

I  would  suggest  to  private  individuals  or  associations  desir- 
ous of  forwarding  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  a  work  that 
was  begun  some  years  ago,  but  was  necessarily  abandoned  ;  it  is 
that  of  providing  simple  hanging  shelves  in  every  ward  of  the 
public  hospitals,  so  that  the  patients  may  choose  their  books 
whenever  they  please. 

Books    placed  in    hospitals  or  prisons  should    be  well   marked. 


1 68  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

not  only  inside  but  on  the  compressed  edges  of  the  leaves,  with 
the  words  "  Hospital  "  or  "  Prison  "  ;  as  books  have  been  recog- 
nized on  second-hand  book-stalls  which  had  been  carried  away 
by  departing  patients  or  prisoners  and  sold  or  pawned  for  a 
trifle. 

In  regard  to  prisons  I  think  a  few  illustrations  may  serve  to 
prove  the  benefit  of  the  press  within  their  walls  better  than  my 
ideas  upon  the  matter.  One  of  these  was  under  sentence,  or 
rather  awaiting  it.  Upon  his  incarceration  a  well-meaning  lady 
visited  him,  and  came  away  quite  disgusted  with  her  interview 
and  disinclined  to  repeat  her  visit.  She  said  to  me  :  "  I  took 
him  the  Conferences  of  Pcre  Lacordaire,  a  large,  expensive  book, 
and  the  Life  of — I  forget  just  now  of  whom,  but  at  all  events 
the  spiritual  antipode  of  the  poor  prisoner — and  he  waved  them 
away,  saying  that  if  he  wanted  to  read  he  had  plenty  of  novels, 
and  he  did  not  seem  to  wish  to  talk."  She  considered  his  case 
a  hopeless  one,  whereas  it  was  only  one  of  a  want  of  judgment 
on  her  part.  I  stopped  at  his  cell  immediately  after  and  had 
a  conversation  with  him,  but  avoided  the  mention  of  books  or 
death.  I  found  that  the  good  lady  had  spoken  of  the  latter 
rather  prematurely,  and  from  the  man's  physique  one  could  well 
understand  how  repugnant  the  thought  of  death  would  be,  natur- 
ally or  supernaturally.  In  after  visits  the  conversation  turned 
upon  matters  of  vital  importance,  until  the  time  came  to  suggest 
reading  "  to  occupy  his  mind  and  distract  his  thoughts."  This 
did  not  look  very  serious  to  him,  and  he  acknowledged  its  utili- 
ty. Upon  inquiring  as  to  his  progress  in  the  book,  a  simple  but 
serious  one  which  I  had  loaned  him,  he  frankly  replied  :  "  I 
would  willingly  read  the  book  for  your  sake  and  have  tried  to 
do  so,  but  when  I  am  at  the  end  of  the  page  I  do  not  know  a 
word  of  what  I  have  read  ;  I  read  these  novels  to  keep  from 
thinking."  I  requested  a  view  of  the  novels,  and  that  one  was 
sufificient.  As  time  was  short  and  I  appreciated  the  importance 
of  his  occupying  his  thoughts  with  something  beneficial  in  either 
event  death  or  life-imprisonment,  as,  in  the  latter  case  books 
would  be  the  only  recreation  permitted  him,  I  determined  to 
compel  him  even  against  his  will  to  acquire  a  taste  for  reading. 
This  was  a  difficult  matter,  as  he  took  no  'interest  in  anything, 
but,  like  a  caged  bear,  continued  to  walk  up  and  down  his  cell 
planning  methods  of  escape.  However,  I  tried  to  interest  him 
in  matters  of  general  public  interest  and  living  great  people ;  as 
he  had  been  a  petty  politician  this  succeeded,  and  on  the  next 
visits  I  took  paragraphs  or  articles  relating  to  the  matter  of  our 
conversation.      From    this    we    went  to    great    dead    people    and 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  169 

past  events  of  importance,  and  so  on,  each  conversation  being 
followed  by  an  article,  page,  or  chapter  relative  to  them,  until  I 
found  him  able  to  grasp  some  thought  and  remember  it.  In 
conversation  we  had  been  approaching  the  great  thing  into 
which  all  the  other  great  things  had  merged,  eternity,  and  upon 
one  visit  I  took  him  Brother  Philippe's  Meditation  on  our  Last 
End,  almost  fearing  as  to  its  success,  and  was  most  agreeably 
surprised  on  my  next  visit  to  hear  that  he  wished  to  ask  me 
"  about  something,"  and  the  book  was  drawn  from  under  his 
pillow.  I  saw  by  his  mark  that  he  had  made  considerable  pro- 
gress in  it,  and  his  questions  proved  that  he  had  understood  the 
subject.  After  this  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  get  him  to  read 
any  work  that  I  selected  for  him.  His  sentence  was  commuted 
to  life,  and  when  visiting  him  in  the  penal  prison  and  question- 
ing him  as  to  his  reading,  was  gratified  to  hear  him  reply : 
"  Reading  is  my  only  pleasure.  I  read  everything,  but  am  espe- 
cially interested  in  history  when  I  can  get  hold  of  any.  I  read 
a  good  part  of  the  night,"  He  receives  the  Sacraments  fre- 
quently. 

A  man  arrested  for  wife  murder  and  attempted  suicide,  ''the 
worst  thing  that  ever  had  life  in  it,"  according  to  one  of  the 
prison  employees,  was  confined,  while  awaiting  trial,  in  a  cell 
near  the  clerk's  desk,  to  be  under  surveillance.  The  cell  was 
somewhat  dark,  and  upon  my  first  visit  I  found  him  seated  on  his 
cot  with  his  head  bowed  almost  to  his  knees.  His  manner  caused 
me  to  fear  approaching  insanity,  which  would  have  been  a  dread- 
ful thing  while  in  that  state  of  soul.  I  called  him,  and  as  he 
approached  the  grated  door  asked  what  he  was  doing.  In  a 
hollow  voice  he  replied,  "  Thinking  of  my  crime."  I  assured 
him  that  was  the  worst  thing  he  could  do,  and  asked  if  he  was 
in  the  habit  of  reading  or  if  he  took  any  pleasure  in  it  ?  He 
replied  he  had  read  considerable,  but  his  glasses  had  been  taken 
from  him,  fearing  he  might  use  them  in  his  own  destruction,  and 
he  could  not  read  without  them.  This  was  a  bad  case,  and  I  could 
not  feel  justified  in  asking  for  him  the  privilege  of  having 
them,  as  he  was  a  desperate  character ;  so  I  puzzled  out  a  reme- 
dy. Remembering  that  a  package  of  Harper  s  Weeklies,  a  very 
bigoted  paper  at  that  time,  had  been  sent  to  us  among  some 
other  things  and  consigned  to  the  loft,  I  made  a  tour  of  discovery 
in  that  region.  Cutting  off  all  the  large  and  unobjectionable  pic- 
tures, I  mingled  with  them  some  of  a  religious  character,  and  car- 
ried a  huge  bundle  of  them  with  me  the  next  visit.  I  explained  to 
him  that  I  wished  him  to  spread  them  out  on  his  cot,  and  after 
studying    them    well    to    decide    what  each    represented  ;    this    I 


I/O  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

thought  would  divert  his  thoughts  until  something  better  could 
be  done.  Whether  this  novel  amusement  for  a  man  of  his  years 
proved  beneficial  or  not  I  cannot  say,  but  that  he  appreciated 
the    act    I  learned  many  months  afterwards. 

Every  week  a  large  package  of  the  Catholic  Illustrated  was 
waiting  for  me  in  his  cell,  which  I  received  gratefully;  but  as  the 
gift  entailed  some  expense,  the  papers  being  fresh  from  the 
press,  I  remonstrated  after  a  time  with  him  for  getting  them. 
Turning  away  to  conceal  a  tear,  he  said,  in  a  husky  voice  :  "  I- 
have  not  forgotten  the  roll  of  pictures  you  brought  to  me  once; 
these  may  help  some  other  poor  fellow."  The  man  regained 
his  glasses,  was  enabled  to  read,  and  received  the  sacraments. 

At  the  present  time  I  am  endeavoring,  by  the  aid  of  pictures 
and  the  children's  illustrated  papers,  to  awaken  some  train  of 
thought  in  the  brain  of  a  poor,  half-witted,  almost  deaf  negro 
under  sentence  of  death.  He  can  spell,  and  reads  with  pleasure 
the  little  stories  for  children. 

I  have  lately  added  to  my  prison  library  the  Stonyhurst 
series  of  Philosophy ;  they  have  proved  very  useful  with  a  cer- 
tain class  to  whom  at  first  I  could  not  well  offer  a  purely  Cath- 
olic work.  An  Oxford  B.  A.,  a  captain  in  the  army,  and  a 
medical  man,  non-Catholics,  and  a  Hebrew  graduate  of  Columbia 
College,  have  been  among  my  readers.  They  have  expressed  them- 
selves pleased,  and  have  at  least  imbibed  some  sound  philosophy, 
which  paves  the  way  for  its  highest  branch — religion. 

I  sincerely  wish  that  all  lay  people  would  save  their  Catholic 
periodicals,  papers  as  well  as  magazines,  for  charitable  purposes. 
Those  who  are  unable  to  buy  them  would  be  just  as  useful  in 
asking  them  from  those  who  do  not  save  them  for  such  uses, 
and  in  seeing  that  they  are  put  to  the  use  of  charity.  Messrs. 
Benziger  Bros,  preserve  their  exchanges  for  the  prison,  and  they 
are  very  useful.  Most  of  the  men  and  larger  boys  on  the  upper 
tiers  of  the  city  prison  are  not  able  even  to  purchase  a  news- 
paper, and  many  of  them  have  no  friends  to  provide  them  with 
any.  I  send  one  of  the  prison  runners  around  those  tiers  to  dis- 
tribute such  literature,  and  the  men  are  very  grateful  even  for 
an  old  paper.  Lonely  hours  spent  sitting  on  a  cot  and  staring 
at  the  wall  might  be  utilized  in  this  way. 

I  have  been  compelled  to  withdraw  the  use  of  our  library 
from  these  upper  tiers,  as  the  men,  being  usually  transient  board- 
ers, carry,  in  many  cases,  the  books  away  with  them  or  ill- 
treat  them. 

I  think  the  best  means  of  promoting  the  APOSTOLATE  OF  THE 
Press    would    be  to  open  a  depository  to  which  all  donations  of 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  171 

literature  might  be  sent,  and  to  have  it  placed  under  the  care 
.of  some  intelligent  person  capable  of  distributing  the  various 
reading  matter  where  it  would  be  the  most  appreciated  and  the 
most  beneficial.  I  would  suggest  that  the  marking  of  the  books 
should  be  done  in  such  a  place,  and  that  attention  should  be 
drawn  to  it  from  the  altar  and  also  through  the  press.  I  do 
not  doubt  but  that  it  would  be  well  supplied.  A  person  once 
came  to  me  to  ask  if  we  could  make  use  of  certain  things.  She 
seemed  almost  ashamed  to  make  the  offer,  saying  by  way  of  ex- 
cuse :  "  One  cannot  stop  people  in  the  street  to  ask  if  they  want 
such  things  and  they  do  accumulate  so."  I  am  certain  that  an 
act  of  charity  as  simple  as  saving,  and  sending  to  such  a  deposi- 
tory old  literature  would  be  readily  taken  up,  and  it  would  be 
productive  of  so  much   good. 

I  am  forming  a  library  for  the  Sing  Sing  Prison,  as  the  only 
library  there  is  a  non-Catholic  one,  and,  being  under  the  charge 
of  the  Protestant  chaplain,  who  is  also  moral  disciplinarian,  those 
men  whose  records  are  not  just  what  they  ought  to  be  are 
wary  of  approaching  it. 

In  all  of  the  city  institutions  under  the  charge  of  the  Com- 
missioners of  Public  Charities  and  Correction  there  are  some 
Catholics,  either  wardens,  matrons,  orderlies,  or  attendants,  who 
will  willingly  undertake  to  see  that  all  Catholic  literature  sent  to 
their  respective  departments  is  properly  distributed.  The  com- 
missioners have  always  proved  themselves  very  obliging,  and  are 
desirous  of  furthering  the  mental  as  well  as  moral  improvement 
of  those  under  their  care.  They  will  see  that  any  packages  ad- 
dressed to  their  care,  66  Third  Avenue,  for  any  of  the  city  or 
island  institutions,  will  be  forwarded  by  them  to  their  destina- 
tion, and  that  any  packages  labeled  "  Catholic  Literature  "  shall 
be  sent  to  such  institutions  as  will  appreciate  such  matter  the 
most,  and  will  be  put  under  the  care  of  some  Catholic  ofificial 
to  be  distributed.  I  would  suggest  Charity  Hospitals,  Penitentiary, 
alms-houses  for  m.ales  and  fem.ales,  and  work-house  for  males 
and  females,  on  Blackwell's  Island,  and  the  various  hospitals  on 
Randall's,  Ward's,  and  Hart's  Islands,  also  Bellevue  and  Har- 
lem hospitals  in  the  city,  and  the  Tombs  Prison. 

As  regards  sailors  and  soldiers,  I  would  offer  a  suggestion 
which,  I  have  been  told,  was  carried  into  effect  by  my  father 
during  the  Mexican  and  Florida  wars;  I  believe  the  idea  origi- 
nated with  him  also. 

He  provided  my  uncle,  who  was  an  officer  in  those  wars, 
with  a  library  of  small,  compactly  bound  books  of  standard  au- 
thors, one  of  which  was  given  to  each  man  to  carry  in  his  knap- 


172  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

sack,  with  the  right  to  exchange  it  when  read  with  his  comrades. 
A  regiment  would  thus  form  a  good  walking  library.  Those 
books  were  non-Catholic,  but  how  much  good  would  not  a  Cath- 
olic library  do  ! 

For  sailors,  I  think  the  hanging  shelves  well  stocked  with 
moral,  pious,  and  interesting  works  would  be  very  beneficial. 

"  Let  us  sow  good  thoughts  and  we  will  reap  good    actions." 


THE    APOSTOLATE    OF    THE    PRESS    AND    THE    PRE- 
VENTION OF  CRIME. 

BY   JOHN   W.    GOFF. 

One  of  the  great  questions  of  the  day  is,  how  best  to  redeem 
the  criminal.  In  no  one  feature  have  the  humanitarian  tenden- 
cies of  the  age  been  more  marked  than  in  that  of  prison  re- 
form and  the  reformation  of  criminals.  It  is  no  longer  deemed 
necessary  to  the  protection  of  society  that  the  criminal  should 
be  treated  as  being  irretrievably  bad  and  beyond  the  possibility 
of  reformation.  The  fact  that  though  a  criminal  he  is  withal  a 
human  creature,  susceptible  of  human  emotions  and  capable  of 
human  achievement,  has  gradually  forced  a  recognition  of  the 
truth  that  the  real  purpose  of  punishment  by  the  state  is  not 
vengeance  but  prevention  and  correction.  Hence  the  establish- 
ment of  houses  of  correction  and  reformatories,  an  excellent  ex- 
ample of  which  we  have  in  our  own  State  in  the  Elmira  Refor- 
matory. In  this  institution  there  are  no  retributive  penalties 
applied,  hope  and  encouragement  are  the  drill-masters  of  disci- 
pline, and  the  aim  is  to  effect  such  changed  conditions  of  feeling 
and  thought  as  shall  be  most  serviceable  in  accomplishing  a 
reformation. 

In  this  great  work  of  reformation  none  have  a  greater  in- 
terest, nor  indeed  have  more  at  stake,  than  the  Catholics  of 
America,  not  alone  from  the  principles  of  charity  that  are  incul- 
cated, and  the  corporal  works  of  mercy  which  are  imposed  as  a 
duty  by  their  religion,  but  from  regard  for  the  good  repute  of 
their  faith,  its  works,  and  its  fruits  in  a  country  where  they  are 
but  yet  in  a  missionary  stage.  It  is  true  that  in  popular  estima- 
tion the  number  of  persons  in  our  penal  institutions  who  pro- 
fessed themselves  Catholics  have  been  grossly  exaggerated,  and 
that    non-Catholic    prisoners,    in    order    to    conceal    their  identity, 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  173 

have  given  assumed  names  of  Catholic  complexion.  But  making 
due  allowance  for  exaggeration  and  fiction,  the  fact  remains  that 
a  large  area  in  this  field  of  reformatory  work  is  necessarily- 
allotted  to  Catholic  labor. 

It  has  been  stated  at  this  Convention  of  the  ApoSTOLATE  of 
THE  Press,  by  one  who  has  devoted  years  of  labor  and  effort  in 
behalf  of  the  unfortunate,  that  the  placing  of  Catholic  books  up- 
on the  shelves  of  the  prison  libraries  and  the  distribution  of 
Catholic  literature  among  the  prisoners  have  been  attended  with 
the  most  gratifying  results.  Instances  were  given  of  prisoners 
who  when  having  their  pedigree  taken  were  ashamed  to  ac- 
knowledge their  religion,  but  after  having  read  Catholic  books 
took  pride  in  stating  that  they  were  Catholics.  This  naturally 
suggests  the  inquiry  if  the  reading  of  Catholic  literature  by 
prisoners  after  conviction  be  attended  with  such  beneficent  re- 
sults, how  much  greater  would  be  the  benefit  to  them  and 
society  if  the  reading  would  take  place  in  time  to  prevent  the 
crime.  The  inquiry,  logically  pursued,  leads  to  the  proposition 
that  the  real  solution  of  the  question  depends  not  so  much  on 
the  reformation  of  the  criminal  as  on  the  prevention  of  the 
crime. 

It  is  remarkable  that,  notwithstanding  the  large  number  of  in- 
stitutions which  have  been  founded  for  the  reclamation  of  the 
fallen  and  depraved,  pauperism  and  crime  have  not  decreased  in 
proportion  to  the  efforts  made  to  repress  them.  If  by  the  great 
inventions  and  achievements  of  the  nineteenth  century  the 
material  progress  of  man  has  been  immeasurably  accelerated,  why 
should  not  his  moral  retrogression  be  arrested  in  a  corresponding 
degree?  There  is  too  much  self-complacency  in  the  more  fortu- 
nate part  of  the  community  to  recognize  to  their  full  extent  the 
existence  of  those  evils  in  our  social  system,  evils  that  require 
immediate  treatment,  and  which  cannot  be  dispelled  by  a  liberal 
contribution  to  foreign  missions  while  right  at  our  doors,  in  what 
may  be  called  the  slums  of  New  York,  there  are  more  white 
pagans  to  the  square  rod  than  there  are  black  ones  to  the  square 
mile  in  the  wilds  of  Africa.  It  is  a  divine  work  to  recover  and 
bring  back  the  lost  sheep  to  the  fold,  but  care  should  be  taken 
that  the  fences  around  the  fold  be  kept  in  repair  so  that  oppor- 
tunity might  not  tempt  the  sheep  to  become  wanderers. 

To  attempt  to  formulate  a  system  calculated  to  insure  abso- 
lute prevention  would  be  Utopian,  but  practical  work  applied  in 
certain  directions  would  accomplish  much  that  is  within  reason- 
able expectation.  There  are  thousands  of  Catholic  young  men 
in  this  city  without    family  connections,  whose  only  home    is   the 


174  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

cold    and    cheerless    boarding-house.      There   are    thousands  who 
have  family  connections,  but  whose  homes  are  anything  but  con- 
ducive   to    their   moral    or    intellectual    well-being.      These    young 
men  seek  society  and  recreation,  and  they  must  get  it  whether  it 
be    good    or   bad,  and  the    bad  is  much  cheaper  and  more  easily 
attained  than  the  good.     What    has  been    done    for   these    young 
men?      Apart    from    the     zealous    labors    of    the    clergy,    if    the 
measure  of  the  wealth,  influence,  and  numbers  of  the  Catholics  of 
New  York  be  considered,  a  candid   answer  must  be,  not  enough. 
A  study  of  criminal  statistics  shows    that    a    large    percentage   of 
the  crimes  attributed    to  violence    can    be    directly  traced    to    an 
over-indulgence    in  convivial    tastes    and    bad    associations.     What 
is  the  antidote  ?     There  must  be  counter  attractions  to  the  dance- 
hall,  the    low  variety   theatre,    the    sporting-room,    and    such    like 
places  of  resort,  and  these  will  be  found  in  the  reading-room,  the 
circulating    library,  the    gymnasium,    the    debate    of    intellect,   the 
contest  of   muscle,  the  hearty  laugh,  and  the  jovial  song  in  inno- 
cent companionship.     Whatever  will    tend    to    build    up  a  .strong, 
self-reliant  manhood,  and  to  facilitate  the  acquisition  of  knowledge 
and  of  a  higher  intellectual  life,  becomes  a  most  potent  factoi-  in 
the    prevention    of    crime.     Look    at    the    work    accomplished   by 
the    Young    Men's    Christian    Association,  with    its    seven    branch 
institutes    in    this    city,  each  frequented    every  night  by  hundreds 
of    young    men,  who    go  there  to  enjoy  the   amusements    and    to 
profit    by    the    many   advantages.     The    reverend    curator    of   the 
Cathedral    parochial  library  states    that    its    establishment  was    in 
part  due  to  the    fact    that   the   young    men    of    the    parish    were 
attending    the    Episcopal    and     the     Hebrew    institute    libraries. 
Catholic    clubs    have    been    organized    under   parochial    auspices, 
and    their   influence,    though    limited    and  localized,  is  very  bene- 
ficial   to    their    members.      What    is  needed  is  an  institution,  educa- 
tional as  well  as  social,  for  all   Catholic  young  men  without  regard 
to  locatiofi,  under  a  general  management  and  supported  by  the  whole 
Catholic    commimity ;  an    institution  where  the  poor  man  will    not 
be  made  to  feel  the  galling  sense  of   social  inequality,  and  whose 
main  purpose   will    be   to    contribute    to    his  material   as    well    as 
moral    welfare.     With    the    genius    of    organization    possessed    by 
the    Catholic  Church,  the  administrative  energy  of   its  clergy,  the 
generosity    and    loyalty    of    its    laity,    this    great    work    if    once 
started    would    be    sure  to  succeed,  and    its    success  would    mean 
not  only  a  better  moral  and  material  life  for  thousands  of  young 
men,  but  a  protecting  and  saving  hand  to    many    who    now  drift 
helplessly  into  the  vortex  of  criminal  associations. 


The  Apostolate  of  the  Press.  175 

Between  the  arrest  and  the  conviction  is  a  period  of  feverish 
hope  and  depressing  fear  to  every  person  accused  of  crime. 
The  prison  pens  of  the  criminal  courts  are  filled  every  morning 
with  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men  and  women  awaiting  their 
trial.  Many  are  there  for  the  first  time.  The  young  man  may 
be  a  proper  subject  for  the  reformatory,  and  so  may  the  young 
woman  ;  but  there  is  no  State  reformatory  for  females.  At  this 
juncture  a  kindly  effort  may  save  them  from  the  almost  hopeless 
degradation  of  the  State  prison  or  the  penitentiary.  The  judges 
are  invariably  inclined  to  clemency  if  their  attention  be  called  to 
deserving  cases,  and  careful  men  and  refined,  intelligent  women, 
representing  Protestant  and  Hebrew  societies  are  always  ready  to 
intercede  for  clemency  or  to  assume  the  task  of  trying  to  reform 
them.  It  is  easy  to  understand  the  prisoners'  gratitude,  and 
how  susceptible  he  or  she  may  be  to  whatever  influences  sur- 
round them.  This  is  an  important  feature  in  the  prevention 
of  crime  as  well  as  the  reformation  of  the  criminal,  and  a 
society  like  the  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  would  be  able  to  save 
many  a  poor  creature  trembling  on  the  brink  of  utter  ruin. 
But  ^he  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Conferences  are  overburdened  with 
the  immediate  care  of  the  extremely  poor;  these  organizations 
should  be  joined  by  a  large  number  of  our  well-to-do  Catholics 
so  that  they  may  extend  their  labors   more  widely. 

But  after  all  the  most  vital,  because  the  most  urgent,  question 
on  this  subject  is  the  disposal  and  the  treatment  of  the  children, 
the  youthful  crim.inals,  the  waifs  of  the  streets,  the  offspring  of  the 
thief  or  of  the  drunkard.  To  a  person  who  has  not  given  this 
phase  of  social  depravity  any  attention  the  truth  regarding  its 
depth  and  extent  must  be  startling.  These  children,  whose  earli- 
est impressions  are  those  of  squalor,  drunkenness,  and  vice  of  all 
sorts,  take  on  the  color  of  their  surroundings,  as  they  grow  up 
in  an  atmosphere  laden  with  crime,  to  become  future  fathers  and 
mothers  and  transmit  to  their  posterity  the  curses  and  the  evils 
which  they  themselves  have  inherited.  Here  is  the  place  to 
begin  the  work  of  prevention  and  redemption.  It  is  a  gratifying 
fact  that  the  means  of  saving  the  children  have  been  greatly 
improved  by  the  State  as  well  as  by  private  institutions.  Laws 
have  been  enacted  for  the  protection  and  reclamation  of  the 
child,  particularly  of  the  female,  which  transfer  its  possession 
and  control  from  the  unworthy  parent  or  guardian  to  some  suitable 
institution.  It  is  also  provided  by  law  that  a  child  under  sixteen 
guilty  of  crime  "  shall,  when  practicable,  be  committed  to  an  insti. 
tution  governed    by    persons  of    the  same    religious  faith    as   the 


176  The  Apostolate  of  the  Press. 

parents  of  such  child."  There  are  eleven  criminal  courts  in 
session  every  day  in  this  city  empowered  to  make  commitments, 
and  there  are  thirty-seven  institutions  authorized  by  law  to  re- 
ceive such  children.  Of  these  one  is  non-sectarian,  two  are  pub- 
lic, three  are  Hebrew,  fifteen  are  Protestant,  and  fifteen  are 
Catholic.  While  the  judges  are  careful  to  comply  with  the  law, 
yet  in  the  rush  of  court  business  it  frequently  happens  from 
the  indifference  of  the  officers,  the  inability  of  the  child  to 
name  the  religion  of  its  parents,  and  from  other  causes,  that 
children  are  sent  to  institutions  regardless  of  the  religion  of  the 
child  or  of  its  parents. 

The  non-sectarian  and  the  Protestant  institutions  are  well 
equipped  with  a  staff  of  trained  men  who  are  ever  on  the  alert 
to  rescue  and  gain  possession  of  the  juvenile  delinquents.  As  to 
Catholic  institutions,  while  their  numbers  speak  eloquently  of 
charity  and  zeal,  their  usefulness  would  be  increased  if  wealthy 
Catholics  would  step  forward  and  enable  them  to  bring  to  bear 
united  action.  Many  of  them  are  poor  and  struggling  for  exist- 
ence, and  none  of  them  are  rich  enough  to  maintain  a  sufficient 
number  of  men  necessary  to  cover  the  whole  of  the  ground. 
Those  fifteen  institutions  would  combine  their  efforts  and  ope- 
rate through  a  central  management,  and  an  efficient  rescue-ser- 
vice could  be  organized  and  a  great  number  of  children  of 
Catholic  antecedents  would  be  sought  out  and  saved,  if  the  ex- 
penses were    provided. 

This  is  a  noble  work  for  some  society  to  undertake,  and 
the  necessity  for  it  is  increasing  day  by  day,  and  the  APOSTO- 
LATE OF  THE  Press  will  find  in  it  one  of  its  most  useful  fields 
of  activity. 

These  observations  bear  upon  matters  of  practical  detail  in 
which  laymen  must  co-operate  with  the  clergy.  Of  course  the 
many  Catholic,  religious,  and  charitable  institutions  in  the  city 
of  New  York  are  a  magnificent  monument  to  Jthe  tireless  energy 
and  unflagging  devotion  of  the  clergy  and  the  loyal  support  and 
generous  co-operation  of  the  laity.  But  outside  of  parochial 
lines  and  in  the  broad  field  of  philanthropic  endeavor  much  that 
is  needed  remains  to  be  done.  This  is  not  an  age  of  content 
and  joyous  optimism,  in  which  men  regard  existing  arrangements 
as  best  ordained  for  their  happiness.  Confidence  can  be  won 
and  conviption  produced  more  by  deeds  than  by  professions, 
and  the  practical  work  and  fraternal  solicitude  that  lessens  the 
grime,  the  want,  and  the  misery  in  this  world  is  hailed  as  true 
Christianity. 


This  book  is  due  two  weeks  from  the  last  date  stamped 
below,  and  if  not  returned  at  or  before  that  time  a  fine  of 
five  cents  a  day  will  be  incurred. 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 


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